JoJo D2X Part 1: White Noise
by JawshJoestar
Summary: Part one of a three part series. Something is lurking in Osaka, Japan. It's something sinister, stewing in its own hate, and it's up to Josiah Joestar to find out just what it is. Will he be able to protect his city, or will he be overwhelmed when one terrible thing follows another? Completed.
1. Josiah Meets Shinnosuke!

_**Josiah Meets Shinnosuke! The Secret of Stands!**_

Osaka, Japan. December 28th, 2032.

Josiah's tired fingers felt as if they were about to fall off as he typed away at the office computer, sweat rolling down the side of his head. The heat in this room felt like it was trying to choke him, but maybe it was his imagination; no one else seemed to be reacting to the intense heat.

The long sleeves provided by his uniform didn't make it any better, in all honesty. He absolutely despised his job but it was the only way to keep food on the table. He ran his fingers through his long, dark brown combed over hair as he sighed, pressing enter on the keyboard with one of his free fingers.

"Joestar, your shift is almost over!" A gruff voice shouted at him as a shadow towered over his desktop, "Are you done yet?"

Josiah looked up to see a portly man with a thick beard and mustache covering most of his face, unable to see his mouth if it weren't for the fact that he had just spoken.

"Yeah, boss," Josiah responded as he wiped sweat from his brow, scooting out from his seat as he looked back up at the man, "What time is it again?"

"Haha, you're out of it as always, Joestar! It's around eight in the evening, same time as always when you leave work." The overweight man answered, spit flying out from his mouth as he guffawed.

"Thanks, Kosei," Josiah murmured, pushing his seat in as he pressed the power button on his computer, grabbing his duffel bag right after doing so, "I'm off now. See you in a few days."

"JoJo!" A lilting, soft voice called out as a feminine figure came into the picture. Long black hair nearly hit the middle of her back. She wore a pair of white dress pants as well as a pair of white pointed toe slingback shoes to match. She also wore a small white jacket over her grey shirt with white stripes crossing over it.

"Oh, hi Sophia," Josiah yawned, covering his mouth at the last second, "S-sorry. Just really bored.. What's up?"

Sophia tilted her head, looking up at Josiah since she clearly wasn't nearly as tall as him. "Geez, you and your six feet height.. I was wondering if you'd like to walk home with me?" She asked invitingly.

"Oh, sure!" Josiah said with a warm smile, stepping away from his desk as he began to walk with the smaller woman, almost being an entire foot taller than her, making her look like a child.

[Ten minutes later…]

Cold wind blew across the empty streets of Osaka… well, as empty as it could be. The rapid growth of technology had left some areas more poor than others, leaving barely anyone within middle class. Most people were unable to catch up with the growth of the overall country, though some were lucky to stay where they were or rocket to new heights.

Trash littered the streets as the stars began to shine above both Josiah and Sophia, the former shivering in his boring, white, button-up dress shirt.

"You sure you don't want my jacket? It's really cold out tonight.." Sophia offered, her voice decreasing to a murmur as she stepped closer to him, as if to keep warm herself.

"I'm fine," Josiah insisted, his sky blue eyes falling down to look at her, "I'm the one who didn't bother to bring one with me in the first place, so this is what I get for my ignorance. Don't worry."

"Fine," Sophia huffed in response, crossing her arms as she continued to walk alongside him, "Have you heard anything from your mother lately?"

"Huh?" Josiah asked aloud, confused for a moment, but he quickly realized what she was talking about. "Oh, yeah. You met her not too long ago.. I haven't heard much. I just heard from her father that 'Irene Joestar' has too much business to deal with to see her own son."

Josiah spoke with an aggression that was no stranger to Sophia, though it didn't scare her any less each time that he did it. His fist was clenched to the point that his entire arm had been shaking, almost completely clear that it wasn't from the cold.

"H-hey, calm down," Sophia stuttered, putting her left hand on his shaking arm, gripping it lightly, "This is a peaceful time of night, so we should try to enjoy it, right?"

Josiah sighed, the shaking coming to a stop. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry about that.." he responded regretfully, though a pang of hope resonated in his body, glad that that _thing_ didn't pop out from him again.

He shook his head, continuing to walk as the cold air clung to him tightly, his body shivering as he stayed close to his friend. "So, was your day as boring as mine?"

"Pretty much," Sophia retorted without a second to waste, "I think Kosei spat on me again, which was really gross."

While Josiah had been doing his best to listen attentively, his mind couldn't help but to blur out her voice as his eyes spotted something. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, trying to get a closer look on what it could possibly be.

He stared ahead into a dark alleyway, noticing that there were two fairly lean men wearing ski masks were holding a man about their size, one of them grabbing one side and vice versa.

When he got a good look at the man being carried, he knew right away he was unconscious. His face was completely checked out, and had long brown hair falling on his shoulders. He was skinny to the point where Josiah swore he could see his ribs poking out from his thin t-shirt, and he had to be near Josiah's height. He had also been wearing a white beanie atop his head.

He watched as the two disguised men carried the unconscious, possibly malnourished man through a steel door, one of the men slamming it closed as they made their way in.

"Josiah? Yoohoo, earth to Josiah Joestar!" Sophia called out to him, waving her hand in front of his face to try and snap him back to reality.

"What? Oh, sorry.." Josiah's eyes didn't leave the alleyway for a second, in fear that he might have been watched when he saw what had been going on. "Hey, Sophia?"

"Yeah?" She asked, curious but worried as she tilted her head, her hand coming back down to her side as she stared up at the goliath.

"I need you to go home by yourself," Josiah choked out, feeling as if his entire body was frozen, and he wasn't sure if he was more scared of letting her go alone or doing what he was thinking of, "There's something I have to take care of."

"What? Josiah, are you okay?" As she spoke up, her soft voice began to trail off, "Uh.. are you sure? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Josiah stated calmly, putting one of his hands on her back slowly, as if to move her forward, "Just hurry, something important has come up, and I don't wanna drag you down with it."

"Uh.. okay." Sophia couldn't help but give one last look of concern as she turned away from him, running into the cold night as snow began to fall.

".. I can't believe I'm doing this." Josiah murmured to himself as he turned to the entrance of the alleyway, his hands balled up into fists as he began to walk slowly towards the scene of the crime, "But something is calling me there.."

Josiah did his best to ignore the oncoming cold as he examined the cramped alleyway, noticing that a black hoodie and a pair of shades had been laying on the ground.

"Huh.." he whispered quietly, turning to the steel door. He put his hand on it and attempted to push it open, but no opening was made clear. "Damn it.. Guess you have to come out now, Downplay."

Josiah quietly focused as a bright, sky blue aura surrounded his body. He sighed calmly as a seven foot tall figured slid out from behind him.

Downplay's body is mainly a dark grey in color. Its mouth is circular and has dozens of grey lines covering it, and has a thin antennae sticking out from its head. Downplay has wires extending from its fingers, long enough to drag on the ground behind it. Its eyes are an emerald green. It also has several light grey lines stretching up and across its body. It has what appears to be a six pack on its abdomen, and it has no eyes of any kind on its head.

The almost metallic looking figure bent down as it placed its finger inside the lock, twisting it a little bit until a satisfying 'click' ran through Josiah's ears.

The figure faded out of existence once more as Josiah pulled the door open, entering cautiously as dimly lit lights invited him inside the mysterious building.

Josiah shivered as he moved along the wall, his hands feeling around the corner as he peaked over, noticing that two lean men were walking down the hall, identical to the pair of men he had seen beforehand.

Quietly, he crouched down and made his way to the two men, seeing that they were heading towards a door at the end of the hallway. Downplay moved out from Josiah's body as he approached, though he suddenly broke into a sprint as the mechanical looking stand moved its two hands in a chopping motion.

Before they had time to look around, they both slumped onto the floor, the blows simultaneously knocking them unconscious. He wiped sweat from his brow as he bent downward, sticking his eye near the keyhole in the door.

Downplay attempted to look into it, seeing that the malnourished man from before was tied up in a steel chair, his legs and hands bound, his eyes closed as well. Quickly, Downplay stuck its finger in the lock, twisting it as the lock clicked.

Josiah silently pushed the door open as he did his best to observe the room, thankful that nobody was around. He rushed over to the bound man, looking over him as he put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him.

"Huh.." the man murmured as his eyes flickered open, noticing that this tall, broad shouldered man was standing above him. "Oh.. come on, Shinnosuke, you gotta be dreaming.."

"Sorry, this isn't a dream," Josiah said in a hushed voice as Downplay put one of its hands on the man's binds, "I assume your name is Shinnosuke, then. Come on, we're getting out of here."

"Wh.. why are you here? And.. wait you have one too?" Shinnosuke asked in a yawn, his hazel eyes slowly motioning over to the seven foot tall figure in front of Josiah.

"Huh? Wait.. you mean you can see it?" Josiah, though taken aback, quickly used Downplay's hand to break apart the rope instantly. "Well, we can discuss it later. I'm here, because, well.. I was at the right place at the right time, and helping you was the only choice I had. But, if you can see it, couldn't you have used your own power to fight back?"

"I mean, I could but.. I don't like using it." Shinnosuke cringed when he answered Josiah, making it quite obvious that his power wasn't something he was too keen on.

"Well, doesn't that just make it easier, gentlemen?" A menacing yet smooth voice echoed throughout the room, freezing the two in place as a figure seemingly stepped out from nowhere.

The man had been at least five feet and nine inches tall, wearing a purple suit with a green tie draped over it. He wore a pair of purple slacks, both of his hands resting in his pockets as his black leather shoes clacked against the floor. "I didn't expect a fellow stand user to drop in and ruin the party. I certainly didn't expect the famous mangaka, Shinnosuke, to have a stand either."

Shinnosuke stood up, his hand on his left hip as sweat began to roll down his head. _He stepped out from the shadows.. I think invisibility of some kind may be an ability he has.. I can't see his stand, though, which is kinda scary.._ He thought to himself.

"So, what's _your_ name?" Josiah asked, beads of sweat almost covering his face as he turned to the fancily dressed man, "And what do you want with Shinnosuke?"

"Leopold Gilbert is my name, don't wear it out!" Leopold stated egotistically, taking a hand out from his pocket to graze it across the stubble on his face. "What I want with him? Well, you see, I was hoping we could negotiate. He would give me funds so I can buy supplies for my gang, and he goes free, of course. A mangaka in Japan makes a lot of cash, y'know."

"Well, if you don't mind, we're going to be leaving. I'm sure you don't want me to ruin anything. Ruin your dumbass plan, that is." Josiah grit his teeth when he finished his speaking, darting towards Leopold with his fist extended.

"Dumb kid." Leopold sighed as he frowned, pressing himself against the wall as he suddenly disappeared, though that didn't stop Downplay from jamming its fist into the wall, pieces of brick falling a Josiah's feet as he yanked it out.

Shinnosuke quickly kicked the chair to the side, his body shaking in anticipation as he looked left to right. "Josiah, he has the power to camouflage himself! Look for an outline of some kind!"

"You're all idiots! My stand, Novocaine, won't be beaten that easily!" Leopold shouted, though Josiah's eyes instantly followed the sound as he quickly turned to the left.

Josiah smirked, punching at the brick wall. Downplay's knuckles broke off a large chunk of the stone, blasting it towards the sound.

Chunks of rock smacked across some kind of surface, crimson blood spitting out of what was assumed to be Leopold's lips as his camouflage slowly faded.

"Says the dumbass," Josiah taunted him as he looked upon Leopold as his hand brushed the blood off his lip, "Is that all you got?"

"You'll need more than raw power to beat me!" Leopold shouted as a figure jumped out from his body, though ultimately, it was much shorter than Downplay. It was about as tall as Leopold, its flesh being silver in color with lime green stripes running down its back and front. It had two black orbs where eyes should have been. "Novocaine, teach this brat a lesson!"

Novocaine threw its fists at Downplay, though it was ultimately sized down as Josiah sighed. Downplay threw itself at the silver stand, its fists almost being twice the size of Novocaine's fists.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Downplay cried as it rammed its fists against the smaller being, barely any punches getting through to Josiah as he stood behind his stand confidently, signs of strain showing on Leopold's face as he groaned.

Leopold suddenly backed off, wet blood dripping from his mouth and down his chin as he panted heavily. "If you hadn't come along, I wouldn't have to risk this.. Novocaine, initiate plan B!"

"Huh?" Shinnosuke and Josiah both wondered loudly, watching as Novocaine began to shapeshift into what seemed to be a silver briefcase. On the front was a small screen, showing green numbers - though it suddenly started counting down from five minutes.

"In five minutes," Leopold started, one of his hands gripping his purple suit in pain, his body still showing visible signs of strain, "Novocaine will explode, taking you and this entire street with it.. In this form, even the slightest motion can make it explode. What are you going to do, punks?"

Josiah bit down hard on his bottom lip as he turned back to Shinnosuke, a look of intense worry taking over his body. "Shinnosuke, I know you don't like it, but whatever you can do, use it now if it'll help!"

Shinnosuke cringed, a painful look in his eyes as he sighed. "Fine, just restrain him first! I need a second!"

"No, you don't!" Leopold shouted as he pulled a switchblade out from his pants pocket, his feet carrying him over to Shinnosuke, but to no avail.

Josiah quickly sidestepped as Downplay hooked its arms around the gang leader's, binding him from moving any further. "I don't know what these Stand things are, but as long as I have the power, I'm going to keep you from hurting anyone, you piece of shit!"

Shinnosuke bent down on one knee as a white aura covered the entirety of his body, his hand pressing against the floor. He moved one of his fingers and made the outline of a large circle, making sure he made it around the briefcase. When he was finished, a white glow began to shine from the shape's outline.

"Now, throw him into my stand's range, J-Josiah!" Shinnosuke shouted, a hint of hesitation in his voice as he quickly jumped back.

"Get your hands off of me!" Leopold screamed angrily, and quickly had his wish granted. Downplay tossed him into the glowing circle, though nothing seemed to have happened. "Just wait till I get my fucking hands on you!"

Suddenly, all became quiet for Leopold. He swore he could see something swimming in the air behind him, but he couldn't get a good look at it. Cold sweats ran down his face as the ground beneath him began to sink.

"Wh.. what's happening?! No, stop! I'LL DO ANYTHING!" He screamed, watching as the circle opened up, revealing a gaping maw of razor sharp teeth waiting for his body to completely sink into it.

The hole in the floor suddenly closed, sucking in the briefcase and Leopold as he let one final scream loose. This left Josiah utterly speechless as looked up at Shinnosuke while the white glow faded.

Shinnosuke slowly uncovered his eyes, a look of pure terror in his eyes. "That's why I don't like using my Stand.. It's always going to kill someone when I use it. Besides, it's so.. creepy."

"Well, uh," Josiah scratched the back of his head, his Stand sinking back into his body, "You did what you had to. One life traded for this entire street, as far as we know."

He walked over to Shinnosuke, slapping his hand against his back. "Huh? What are you doing?" Shinnosuke asked, confused as he looked up at Josiah.

"You saved our skins," Josiah said with a warm smile, "I owe you something. Come on, let's go by my house. I'm starving."

"Oh, are you sure? I have a lot of work to get back to.." Shinnosuke murmured, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Forget work, I owe you something. You were really brave, man. So, let's go!" Josiah gave him a wide smile, helping him up before heading to the exit.

Shinnosuke stayed behind, his entire body shaking still, but he couldn't help but smirk a little at how strange this man was. "How.. bizarre."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Josiah Joestar  
Age: 21  
Stand: Downplay  
Stand Statistics -  
Power - A  
Speed - B  
Durability - C  
Precision - A  
Range - E


	2. House Of Memories (1)

_**House Of Memories, Part 1!**_

December 30th, 1 AM.

A shadowed figure broke into a brisk dash as the cold moonlight shone onto the poverty stricken suburb. The feminine figure did not dare shiver, as if it something so little would give away her position.

Quickly, she dashed behind a seemingly abandoned house, as the windows were all shattered and the back door was hanging off its hinges. Her pitch black hair barely reached her shoulders as it swayed in the freezing wind, her oversized black jacket protecting her from the cold with a pair of black pants to help her hide in the shadows of the night.

 _As far as I remember, life has always been like this._ She thought to herself, her hand brushing across her right arm carefully. _I don't know how I got like this, or how I obtained this power, but I've used it to my advantage._

She pulled down her jacket sleeve, revealing what appeared to be a bare metal arm, looking as if it was purely prosthetic. Her stomach rumbled quietly, prompting her to put her left arm on her belly, sighing.

 _Come on, Taiga.. It's been hours and you still haven't found food.._ Taiga breathed softly, her breath floating into the air as she continued to stare at her mechanical arm. _Such an odd power to receive..did someone give it to me, or did it manifest from my own willpower? I can't forget how it happened.._

[One year ago... ]

Taiga pressed her ear to the door of what seemed to be an empty grocery store, her hand feeling around it before she slowly pushed it open. She was completely sure that there was no one around, and if there was, she could easily sneak away.

At least that's what she thought to herself. Taiga slipped through aisles upon aisles, grabbing things that would be of use to her. She loaded packages and boxes into a shopping cart, making sure to be quiet as she tip toed through the store.

The longer she stayed, the more she felt like someone had been watching her. Taiga looked to the left and right before quickly darting towards the door, pushing the shopping cart in front of her - only for her to completely freeze.

A man stood in front of her, cloaked in the night as he towered above her, seeming to be an entire foot taller than her. He appeared to have been wearing some kind of uniform, but it was obscured by the darkness.

Taiga looked up in agonizing terror as a twisted grin came upon his face, and she felt something cold press against her right arm.

"Criminal scum." He muttered, his fingers twitching as she attempted to scream, but it wasn't coming out, no matter how badly she wanted it to.

He pulled the trigger.

[In the present..]

"Ah.." Taiga hissed as if the memory itself brought that same pain to her, her hand brushing her now mechanical right arm. "This power… I'll use it wisely."

Taiga quickly went behind the house as she heard footsteps approaching her from the front, one of her eyes looking from the corner to see who it was.

A rather muscular man was standing next to the house, his fist holding up someone else by their collar. "I only asked for food, but ya had to go and be a punk about it, didn't ya?"

When the moonlight struck his face, Taiga didn't expect what she saw. His nose seemed to be pushed inward, and he had a massive scar placed across his left eye which held no iris. He wore a leather jacket over his stained white t-shirt, his blue jeans ripped at their knees. He had a pair of dirtied white socks on as well.

"I'll do whatever it takes to survive, that's what Warut Mizushima promised himself!" Warut nearly yelled at the top of his lungs as a strange, black mist surrounded his body. He rose a bit of it to his mouth and breathed into it. "Mixing my hot breath with the cool night air isn't much, but it should do.."

Taiga's heart began pumping intensely, her senses flying into overdrive. She wasn't sure if it was because this man was dangerous or if the other man was going to be potentially hurt, but she did this either way.

The cloaked girl darted out from behind the house, bringing out her mechanical arm and slashing it against Warut's cheek, causing him to let go of the man in shock, blood seeping out of his left cheek.

"What the fuck?!" Warut shouted, turning around to see the girl. His green eye scanned her for a moment before he looked to the unconscious man, who was now on the cold ground. "Do you know this punk?!"

"No, but I know a bastard when I see one! What was that black mist?!" Taiga asked demandingly, her legs spreading out slightly, as if she was preparing to rush him.

"What.. you could see Stratovarius? That means you have a Stand, too.." Warut said, nearly in a whisper as the black mist from earlier surrounded his body.

"A Stand? Are you talking about my power, Over and Over?" Taiga replied, her mechanical hand clenching itself into a fist. "So you can see Over and Over.. no one's been able to do that ever since I got this power."

"Stand users attract one another," Warut murmured under his breath, "So, what? Ya gonna fight me for this punk's life? I asked for food and he insulted my face!"

"I can't blame him," Taiga snickered, a crimson red aura overcoming her smaller frame, "But I can't let you do whatever you were gonna do to this man! I'm not a saint, but I won't let someone get hurt while I can stop it!"

Warut sighed, putting his hand on his right hip. "Fine, you asked for it!" He shouted as his black mist covered his entire being, allowing him to easily fling himself at the smaller woman.

Taiga quickly dodged out of the way and made her way to the abandoned house, jumping through one of the broken windows. As she did this, she broke off a piece of the shattered glass. "Copy and paste!" She shouted as a red aura overcame her right arm for a moment, making a second piece of sharp glass.

Warut quickly turned around and flew through the broken window, though his eyes widened as a piece of broken glass was thrown at him. His cheek began to sting as a second cut form, more blood seeping out from it.

Despite this, he continued to fly into the tattered living room. He threw a single punch into Taiga's mouth, sending her flying onto a nearby, broken down sofa.

Taiga quickly jumped behind the sofa as the larger man came charging at her. She quickly took her mechanical hand and sent it down the sofa, cutting it in half cleanly.

Hurriedly, Taiga jumped up to try and force Warut to crash into the wall, but it appeared that he was smarter than that.

Warut extended his hand up as he shifted directions, grabbing Taiga by her foot. She smirked and brought her other foot down onto his face, causing him to crash onto the floor.

"You're not very smart, are you?" Taiga teased, landing in front of him as she crossed one arm over the other, her crimson red aura still brimming with energy.

"Shut the fuck up," Warut murmured as he stood back up, breathing calmly as his fog surrounded him once again, "Stratovarius, you know what to do!"

He breathed into the cold air deeply, the mixture of it with the warm breath coming from his mouth causing a chain reaction. A sudden small bolt of lightning blasted across the room. Though, it only managed to scrape the top of Taiga's shoulder, leaving a burn mark as smoke rose from it.

"Didn't see that coming," Taiga seethed, grinding her teeth as she stepped back a little, though began to observe the room. There was an expired fireplace, its foundation being built on bricks it seemed, "These Stand things sure are amazing.."

"Ya don't say," Warut panted, smirking as his Stand came back to curl around his muscular physique, "Fuck.. I didn't expect this. Your Stand has the power to copy and paste things doesn't it?"

"Maybe!" Taiga answered before jumping towards the fireplace, using her mechanical arm to cleanly cut through two of the bottom bricks, "Copy and paste!"

Warut attempted to jump back, but it was no use as far as he could see. He watched as one brick turned to two, and time seemed to slow down from him as he attempted to turn tail and run.

Swiftly, Taiga tossed one brick after the other, watching as one crashed against his nose and the other on his abdomen, causing him to reel back in pain, making him realize that he wasn't able to win under these conditions.

"Stratovarius, surround me!" He shouted as his fog-like Stand completely enveloped his body. Quickly, he flew out of the building from the broken window and into the night, before Taiga could even chase him.

She sighed as she sat on the dirty wooden floor, her right hand brushing her left shoulder. "Ouch.. if I wasn't lucky, he could burned one of my eyes out.. I think I need to rest.."

[Nine hours later, Josiah's apartment.]

"Hey, Josiah, someone's here to see you!" Shinnosuke yelled into the kitchen, prompting Josiah to get up from his seat at the dinner table.

"Depends, who is it? I swear, if it's another salesman.." Josiah whispered to himself, making his way over to the main room. "Hm?"

Josiah looked at the front door to see his good friend, Sophia standing there, with a mostly concerned look on her face. "Hey, Josiah! I was wondering if I could talk to you about a few things."

"Oh, uh, sure. Come on in!" Josiah said with a welcoming smile, before turning over to Shinnosuke as he let her inside, "This is my friend, Shinnosuke. Shinnosuke, this is Sophia, a really good friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you!" the two of them exchanged, albeit a bit awkwardly. Sophia sat down on his sofa, prompting him to come over and sit down.

"So, what's wrong? Did Kosei spit on you again?" Josei joked with a warm smile, though that faded when he realized just how nervous Sophia was. Her hands were balling up the cloth on her dress pants, effectively wrinkling them.

"I had this weird dream, not really a nightmare," Sophia began, slowly starting to look Josiah in his eyes, "Where I was shot by an arrow, I think? I couldn't tell who did it, but ever since then, something weird has been happening. I mean, something is following me!"

"Something is following you? You sure you're just not sleepy or paranoid?" Shinnosuke added, taking a seat next to Josiah. "I mean, you could just be imagining things."

"No, I'm not! Don't tell me you can't see it!" Sophia cried, obviously distressed as a figure slipped out from her back. It seemed to be a rather portly man wearing a suit of knight's armor, having a bright red cross on its chest. It also wielded a rather sharp sword, "No one else has been able to see it! No one at work, not even my family!"

Josiah's heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw this figure take form, completely sure that it was a Stand of some kind. "Shinnosuke.. Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah, it has to be. After all, only we would be able to see it.." Shinnosuke replied, trailing off as he put a finger to his chin, studying the portly figure that stood behind Sophia.

"Huh? What are you talking about? You mean you can see it, Josiah?" Sophia asked, a pang of hope resonating through her body as she looked back at it. "So what is it?"

Josiah sighed then stood up, his own humanoid Stand coming out from behind him, somewhat causing Sophia to be a little uncomfortable, her arms crossed. "Sophia, what you have is a Stand. Shinnosuke filled me in, but I'm still kinda confused about them."

"You see," Shinnosuke began, twiddling his thumbs as he looked from Josiah to Sophia, "A Stand is the manifestation of a person's soul, their fighting spirit, their psychological energy, or whatever theory you like the most. They exist to stand by people, hence the name. Though, not everyone has the aptitude to control a stand, so you must be really strong willed! I have one, it's just, uh, not ideal for me."

"It's all really strange, but it's the truth, I promise," Josiah said, sitting down next to her once again, "I don't know what being shot by an arrow has to do with this, but it could be linked to you gaining this Stand. Do you know what it does?"

"I see.. I believe you, Josiah. I don't think you would be someone who would lie to me," Sophia retorted with a bright smile, "What it does.. I think it might be linked to teleporting things? It was making these weird portals in my apartment and switching the places of different objects. Specifically, my blender and my TV remote."

"Teleportation seems useful!" Shinnosuke interjected, somewhat glad to hear of a Stand that wasn't as terrifying as his. "What was the other thing you were worried about?"

"Well," Sophia put her index finger on her bottom lip, "There's this house that appeared out of nowhere in one of the more balanced districts in town. Would you know anything about it? It's especially creepy because everyone who went inside it hasn't returned.."

"I don't know if it's a Stand, but it might be possible," Shinnosuke said, his eyes following along the floor as he began to sweat profusely, "Leopold's Stand could turn into a bomb, so it isn't impossible that one could turn into a house. But, h-hey, the owner could be friendly.."

"Either way, a lot of Stands sure are showing up here in Osaka," Josiah said, standing up as he made his way to the apartment's bathroom, "Sophia, you stay here while Shinnosuke and I check it out. You only just got your Stand, and you don't know how to control it. If this really is a Stand user we're dealing with, and he holds ill will against the people of Osaka, then we're going to have to go in ourselves. We can't let anyone get hurt, alright?"

"I wanna help, but I understand,' Sophia replied, nodding her head in agreement, "Just promise me you'll be careful!"

"We will," Josiah responded, his voice trailing further away as he closed the bathroom door, "Shinnosuke, wait for me, I'm gonna get changed!"

[Five minutes later…]

Josiah smiled at his reflection in the mirror. His hair had been neatly combed to the right side of his head, and his attire was different from his usual work clothes. He had slipped on a black v-neck with an unbuttoned sky blue jacket over it. With it, he had worn a pair of blue jeans and black tennis shoes.

"Alright, I'm ready to go!" Josiah announced as he stepped back into the main room, his Stand slipping out from behind him.

"Me too, let's go!" Shinnosuke exclaimed, although he was still incredibly nervous. As they made their way out the door, Sophia bid them a quick farewell and a swift shout, demanding that they stay safe.

Luckily, Josiah had never been more than ready now that he knew what his power was meant for. Saving the lives of innocent people, and if it came down to it, then damn it, he would do his best.

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Taiga  
Age: 19  
Stand: Over And Over  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - A  
Range - E  
Precision - A  
Durability - C  
Development Potential - D


	3. House Of Memories (2)

_**House Of Memories, Part 2!**_

December 30th, 10:15 AM.

Josiah pressed his cellphone to his ear as he walked along the sidewalk with Shinnosuke, the sun shining brightly in the calm blue sky above them as he spoke. "Hey, Sophia, I feel kinda stupid. What does the house look like?"

"Oh, um," Sophia began, reaching into her memory to give him an accurate description, "It's like a really wide mansion, it doesn't have a yard. It looks like it's owned by a really rich guy."

"Alright, thank you!" Josiah exclaimed delightedly, ending the call and slipping his cellphone back into his pocket. "It looks like a mansion, which is kind of odd. It's supposed to be in the more balanced part of town."

"That's bizarre," Shinnosuke said, nodding his head in agreement, "If it is a Stand, I hope the user is friendly. But, wait, how can it be a Stand? Other people can see it."

"Maybe the Stand is inside the mansion? I'm unsure.." Josiah murmured, placing his finger on his chin, "We'll just have to find out for ourselves."

Shinnosuke gulped as they continued to march on through the sidewalk, their eyes peeled for the so-called mansion that Sophia had described to them.

"That looks out of place!" Shinnosuke spoke nearly a minute later, his finger pointing to something across the street. Josiah looked to see a rather large mansion that had to at least been the size of three houses, but other than that, it fit the description perfectly.

"Let's go, then!" Josiah motioned for his friend to follow as he sprinted over to the mansion, stopping in front of the door to turn around. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, but," Shinnosuke began before looking down at his feet, pressing his two index fingers together anxiously, "Are you sure we should go in? I don't doubt your competence, but, if something happens, I don't think I'll be of any use.."

Josiah sighed, firmly placing his hand on Shinnosuke's shoulder as he smiled brightly. "Shinnosuke, I don't doubt you. If you want, you can go back home, but I think you're needed here. You're a smart guy, and I might need you to figure some stuff out. Hell, you might need to use Sound of Silence to help me out if I get in a tight spot."

"I-If you're sure." Shinnosuke stammered, taking a deep breath as Josiah faced the front door, his hand turning the doorknob before he pushed his way inside.

"Oh? Visitors?" A smooth voice wondered aloud as the two stepped inside the main room, shocked at just how tidy it was. It had sky blue walls and white carpets, the colors soothing their eyes as Shinnosuke shut the door behind him when he entered.

Their eyes eventually found someone standing in the middle of the room. They noticed a broad-shouldered man standing in the very center of the room. He wore a black vest over a white button-up dress shirt, which had a black bowtie on the collar. His lower half had a pair of black slacks and black leather shoes.

"Hello!" He stated excitedly, holding a glass of red wine in his right hand. "My name is Hiroshi Osamu, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"Uh, hi. I'm Josiah Joestar and this is my friend, Shinnosuke. We wanted to check this place out, since it seemed kinda out of place.." Josiah said, his bright blue eyes scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary. It seemed normal as far as he was concerned, though if anything was out of place, it almost seemed too fancy. Almost all of the furniture was either high quality wood or leather that would have been high priced at any store.

"Excuse me," Shinnosuke started as he stepped forward, "My full name is Terunosuke Fujiwara. Shinnosuke is just the name I go by when I'm around friends or how I sign my work."

"Oh, what a lovely name! I've heard of your work before, Fujiwara. I enjoy it quite a bit!" Hiroshi bowed respectfully after putting the glass of wine on a nearby table, "But, I can assure you Mister Joestar, there is nothing odd going on here. I merely invited a few kind souls to my home, and they left. I would love it if you looked around, though! I believe there is another man still here, a Mister Warut Mizushima, I believe!"

"Oh, I understand," Josiah replied, though his eyes had a shimmer of disbelief inside of them, "Come on, Shinnosuke. I wanna look around a bit."

Shinnosuke nodded and walked on ahead, seeing a staircase not that far from them. "There's an upstairs, too. Um, do you mind if we check out the place on our own, Mister Osamu?"

"Not at all! In fact, I encourage it! Have fun!" Hiroshi smiled invitingly as he picked up the glass of red wine, "If you see a man with a disfigured face, do not fret. That is merely Warut. He needed some shelter."

"Noted," Josiah replied as he hurriedly walked up the steps with his friend behind him. They quickly turned left, the two of them disappearing into a hallway, "See ya in a bit."

[Five minutes later…]

"I don't know, Josiah," Shinnosuke uttered, his hands following along the walls, "He seems like a nice guy, and I don't think he's lying. But.. it seems really suspicious. Why didn't you question him on how he appeared out of nowhere?"

"Because we need evidence. Evidence that points to whether he's a bastard or not," Josiah answered calmly, still looking forward as he sighed, "I don't trust him. All those people went somewhere, and I'm gonna find out where."

The mansion seemed really strange the further they went down. They could swear they felt the presence of someone watching them, though they might have just been paranoid for all they knew.

Josiah came to a sudden stop as sweat began to roll down his face, his sky blue eyes moving in every direction possible. "Shinnosuke, did you hear that?" He asked in a whisper.

"Hear what?" Shinnosuke whispered back, his body now frozen in place as something started to rumble. The more they stayed put and listened, they saw that the ceiling above them was starting to come down. "Uh, Josiah!"

"I'm on it!" Josiah shouted as Downplay slipped out from his body. He aimed his fist at the floor as Downplay roared, a loud "ORA!" echoing through the hallway as a massive hole formed. "Shit, hurry!"

Josiah quickly grabbed Shinnosuke by his shirt sleeve as he jumped into the hole his Stand had punched into the ground, prepared to go deeper, but it seemed that wasn't the case. The two of them landed in a rather dark room nearly covered in photo realistic portraits. It was completely dark aside from a lamp in the corner of the room.

"Huh? The hell is this?" Josiah murmured, walking throughout the room. "These portraits look like actual pictures.. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Who's there?!" A rough voice shouted, a very masculine figure stepping out from the corner. His face was disfigured to the point where his nose was pushed inward, and his face had a massive scar across his left eye. His shirt had what seemed to be a blood stain, and his jeans were ripped. "If it's who I think it is, prepare to die!"

'U-um, I'll check out these paintings, you keep him busy." Shinnosuke said quickly, his words almost coming out incoherently as he walked throughout the dimly lit room.

"Are you that Warut guy we were told about?" Josiah shouted back as he slipped his left hand in one of his pockets, resting his other on his hip. "Do you work for this Hiroshi guy?"

"What? Hell no!" Warut answered, a strange black mist surrounding his body. "I had to fly away so those walls didn't crush me. Wait.. you're not some cronies of his, are ya?" He stopped as his hands balled up into fists, his eyes focused on Josiah.

"No! We were told to walk around, and I had to punch my way into this room!" Josiah retorted, sweat dripping down his face as he sighed, his own Stand slipping out from behind him. "I assume you're a Stand user too? That black mist doesn't seem normal."

"What's it to ya?" Warut spat rudely, a clear look of aggression resting on his face as he cracked his knuckles, "Besides, you're sweatin'. That's a sign that you're either scared, or lyin'. And I think it's both of those, punk."

"Listen to me, you fucking idiot!" Josiah demanded, his Stand right beside him as he glared at the scarred man. "I'm in just as much trouble as you! If you try to fight me like a damn idiot, I'm not gonna hold my punches!"

"Ha! As if I'd let a cronie like you fool me! Stratovarius, you know what to do!" Warut cried as he rushed towards Josiah, his black mist growing around him as he suddenly sprang forward, his fist stretched outward.

"ORA!" Downplay cried as it blocked Warut's would-be gut punch. It quickly shoved him away before reeling back, planting its own fist on Stratovarius's misty body. "ORA!"

"Guh!" Warut grunted as blood seeped out from his mouth, his body rocketing toward the lamp. Luckily, he managed to stop himself, his Stand circling around him. The light from the lamp shown on Stratovarius as Josiah charged, though he stopped for a moment.

 _Am I seeing things?_ Josiah thought to himself, unsure if he was nervous or if this was really happening. As he looked upon Warut, he saw a copy of him just a few feet away. _Did he move? Is his Stand fast, or is it an afterimage? I can't tell.._

"You think way too much!" Warut shouted as he propelled himself towards Josiah, clearly thrusting himself from the lamp as his afterimage faded, his fist making contact with the Joestar's mouth.

"Fuck!" Josiah grumbled, wiping blood from his lip as he panted, "You're good.. I wish you weren't so fucking stupid, though! I'm on your side!"

"Yeah, keep lyin' to me!" Warut protested, his black mist surrounding his body as he grit his teeth, "I can't let anything get in my way! I have a goal and I can't afford to die here, damn it!"

Josiah sighed, his head turning to see if Shinnosuke was alright. He managed to spot him among the sea of portraits, his fingers tracing them carefully. "Look, even if you don't believe me, I don't wanna do this either! There's obviously something weird going on here, so just stop it! I have someone to go back home to!"

Warut's aggression faded for a moment as those words entered his brain. "Someone to go back home to?" Warut murmured, his Stand fading. He couldn't deny it, he could feel that Josiah was being sincere with him.

"Yeah, she's a good friend of mine! If I die here, there's no telling what might happen! I don't know what this arrow business is, but goddamn it, I'm gonna find out!" Josiah screamed, his voice straining as he panted.

"You're a good man," Warut said with a somewhat pleased sigh, his muscles relaxing, "I believe ya, even if I don't really know if you're telling the truth or not. But.. I feel like you're bein' real with me. But, wait, arrow business? I might know what you're talkin' about."

"Thank you," Josiah replied, giving him a weak smirk as his eyes widened, "You know about it? This isn't the time or place to talk about it, so it should wait. How do you know about it, though? My friend Sophia only said she was shot by it and she gained a Stand.."

Warut's eyes widened as well, a look of surprise plastered on his face. "I was shot by it, too. A man named Daichi Shioru gave me a Stand and a mission. I'll tell ya the rest later, we need to get out of here first.."

"Yeah, I agree! Shinnosuke, what did you find?" Josiah called to him, though he realized something odd. Shinnosuke was completely frozen in fear, his mouth wide open in shock.

"J-Josiah. The people in these portraits.. you need to take a closer look at them.." Shinnosuke tripped over his words as his body shook in pure terror, his eyes glued to the portrait before them.

Josiah and Warut walked over, and soon reacted the same way. The closer they looked, they realized that the men, women, even the children in these portraits were scraping their fingernails against the surface of the paintings, their mouths forming the word "help" as they looked on in horror.

"What the fuck?!" Warut shouted, his Stand once again surrounding him, "What did that bastard do? Is this his Stand's ability?"

"Seems like it," Josiah replied, a grim look stuck on his face as he turned from the portrait, refusing to face it any longer, "Whatever his Stand does, it traps people's souls in paintings. I doubt that these people are alive any longer, because of the fact that this house can crush people if it sees fit."

"Then.. how do we free them? We just kill that Hiroshi bastard, and the Stand disappears, right? That'll set their souls free." Warut suggested, a clear hint of unbridled rage in his tone.

"That's not how we're gonna go about this," Josiah responded, looking between the two, "What we know is that he probably thinks we're dead, otherwise this house would still be trying to crush us into bits. But we need a plan to get rid of this Stand without killing him. Do you have any ideas, Shinnosuke?"

"Hmm," Shinnosuke hummed, racking his brain for ideas, "It's risky, but I can try it. You guys can lead him outside while I make a quiet space around the mansion. That way we can get rid of his Stand, potentially setting these people free once I make a sound inside of the quiet space. We can't exactly call the police because we'll have no evidence for the murders, so we'll have to take justice into our own hands.."

"You seem hesitant," Josiah responded, though the plan made him smile happily, "I know you don't like conflict Shinnosuke, but this is the only way. You're free to go back home."

"No!" Shinnosuke yelled, his eyes brimming with determination, "I refuse to run away and let him get away with it! If I can stop him from doing this to more people, I will!"

"I like this plan," Warut interjected, firmly gripping Shinnosuke's right shoulder, "Josiah and I will beat on him outside while you make the space. It sounds good to me!"

"We all agree then," Josiah spoke, giving Shinnosuke a look of pride as if he accomplished something great, "Let's hurry back upstairs then!"

[Five minutes pass…]

Hiroshi turned to the wall behind him, his ears perking up as suddenly, pieces of the wall flew at him as he jumped to the white carpet. "What in the hell?!"

"Surprised to see us?" Josiah uttered as he walked out of the hole his Stand had made in the wall, his two companions following behind him. "I bet you were just hoping that we weren't Stand users, huh?"

"You.. you should have been crushed to death!" Hiroshi exclaimed, his true nature showing as he threw his glass of wine to the floor, pieces of glass flying across the room as two sections of the wall attempted to close in on the trio.

"I don't think so!" Josiah shouted as Downplay threw a punch at the connecting walls, breaking the two sides as Shinnosuke ran under it, Warut flying over it with Stratovarius covering his body.

"My Stand, House of Memories, won't be bested by a couple of brats like you!" Hiroshi shouted as his adrenaline pumped through his body. A pillar thrusted from the ceiling above Josiah, only for him to quickly run across the room.

"You're too damn slow!" Josiah shouted as Downplay connected its fist with Hiroshi's abdomen, sending him through one of the windows. Warut quickly flew out from the broken window with Josiah right behind him, watching Shinnosuke burst out from the front door.

"Over here, punk!" Warut taunted as he flew behind Hiroshi, his hands wrapping around his body as he grunted. "Now tell us, what were you doing with your Stand? If you tell us nicely, I won't have to snap your damn neck!"

Hiroshi grunted, though he slowly stopped struggly, his body coming to a resting point. "You wouldn't understand! Youth is everything to me! So when I was shot by this weird arrow, I gained the ability to use my Stand, which lets me take the life force of anything that dies inside of it! I used it to my advantage to get further in life, and you damn kids stop me!"

"So this was all about being young, huh?" Josiah murmured, his veins almost visible as he tightly clenched his fists. "How's the quiet space coming, Shinnosuke?"

"It's finished!" Shinnosuke smirked confidently as he took a pencil out from his pocket, tossing it inside the quiet space that was shining around the house.

Hiroshi looked on in horror as rows and rows of teeth appeared below the house, the foundation itself slowly breaking it as it sank into the gaping maw that was eating his Stand, until it completely dissolved into the ground, the rows of teeth dissipating as Shinnosuke walked inside of the quiet space. "Withdraw!"

Hiroshi quickly broke free of Warut's grasp and fell to his knees as he felt his Stand's presence completely fade, tears brimming on the edge of his eyes. "Please, forgive me! I only wanted to be young again!"

"Dozens of people are dead because of you," Josiah said as he turned to face the seemingly elderly man, his eyes void of any forgiveness, "You're getting what you deserve."

Downplay suddenly threw itself at the man, its fists burying themselves into his abdomen as it punched rapidly, blood spurting from Hiroshi's mouth as he was barraged by the Stand's relentless fury. "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"

Hiroshi screamed as he was sent flying by the Stand's fists, his body landing yards away, totally unconscious, blood seeping out from his mouth and nose, deep imprints made in his body from the attack rush.

Josiah sighed as Downplay slipped back into him, watching Shinnosuke approach him from the corner of his eye. "So.. I guess my suspicions were right. Shinnosuke, your plan was genius. Warut, you were pretty handy to have around."

"O-oh, t-thanks. It's nothing, really.." Shinnosuke blushed, quite flattered as his hand brushed the back of his neck, a light-hearted laugh exiting his lips.

"Happy to help ya!" Warut responded, nodding to Josiah, "So, it seems that Hiroshi punk was stabbed by the arrow, too. This isn't good.."

"I figured," Josiah frowned, expressing annoyance. "Let's go back to my apartment and discuss what our next move should be. You can tell me who this Daichi is, and what your goal is in the first place."

"Right." Warut responded as Josiah began to walk away, the three of them feeling as if there was a weight lifted off their shoulders.

Warut stayed behind for a few moments, murmuring something to himself before following his two new allies.

"I'm coming for you, Dororesu."

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Warut Mizushima  
Age: 38  
Stand: Stratovarius  
Stand Statistics  
Power: D - B  
Speed: B  
Durability: C  
Precision: C  
Range: C  
Developmental Potential: B

 **Credit: I forgot to mention this. Taiga, Shinnosuke, and Warut are all made by friends of mine, so all credit goes to them for those specific characters.**


	4. Warut's Daughter Is In Distress! (1)

_**Warut's Daughter Is In Distress, Part 1!**_

December 31st, 1:30 PM.

"Hey, Josiah, are you free to talk today?!" Warut shouted as he threw the door to Josiah's apartment open, looking around the room to see Sophia and Shinnosuke on the sofa, completely caught off guard as the larger man barged in.

"Uh.. Shinnosuke, who is this?" Sophia asked curiously, though she seemed a little perturbed as she slowly eased further down the couch.

Shinnosuke chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head as he stood up. "This is Warut Mizushima! He's the guy who helped us get rid of that house Stand!"

"Eh?" Warut seemed to ignore the supposed thanks as he pointed at the younger woman, "You mean, this girl has a Stand too? Don't tell me she was shot by the arrow, too.."

"Yep, so you're in the same boat as me, huh?" Sophia smiled sweetly, despite the fact that Warut seemed to be filled with anxiety when those words hit his ears. Suddenly, the portly figure in knight's armor from the previous day appeared behind her. "So what's your Stand do and what's it called? I figured out that I can place two portals at a time under a different object and make them switch places! Oh, and I named mine Saint Peter!"

"Th-this isn't show and tell," Warut murmured under his breath as his black mist wrapped itself around his body, "My Stand is Stratovarius. I can fly, make it thicker if I use cold air and warm air correctly, and if that happens I can make lightning. I can also make afterimages, but, yeah. My Stand has a lot of abilities."

"You really like your stand, huh?" Shinnosuke joked, teasing him before sighing, making it fairly obvious that he despised is, despite how useful it was up to this point. "If you're here for Josiah, he's out right now. I guess this is about the arrow."

"Yeah, since Josiah said he wanted to relax before talkin' about something so serious." Warut mentioned, sauntering over to the sofa before parking himself onto it. "Well, guess we got nothin' to do but wait."

Only five moments had passed before the door opened up, revealing Josiah, who had been holding several plastic bags. "I went grocery shopping, what did I miss? Oh, hey there, Warut. You here to talk about the arrow?" He asked, placing the bags next to the sofa.

"Mhm, Warut just got here too!" Sophia announced, scooting down the sofa to give Josiah some room to sit, one leg crossed over the other. "So why's this arrow so important, Warut?"

Warut sighed, his eyes staring coldly at the floor beneath him, his hands pressed together. "I don't know how, but the arrow has the ability to give anyone a Stand, if they have can handle it. The ones who don't have the fighting spirit to possess a Stand, well.. die."

Josiah's blue eyes carried themselves over to Sophia, his mind wandering as this new information hit his brain. "I see. So, you're saying, if Sophia didn't have the aptitude, the shot would have killed her?"

"That's right," Warut answered, his eyes still focused on the apartment floor beneath him, "It's how I got my Stand, and it's how Hiroshi got his as well. I'm kind of like Sophia, I didn't have a choice in getting my Stand."

"You said something about a man named Daichi before, does he tie into that?" Shinnosuke asked, trying to give Warut a look of comfort, but it seemed that it didn't matter. He wouldn't unglue his eyes from the floor, as if shame was coursing through his body.

"Yeah, Daichi Shioru is what I think his name is, I only heard it in passing. He gave me my Stand in exchange for a request," Warut nearly spoke in a whisper, his face suddenly contorting in utter disgust, "He wants me to kill a congressman, here in Japan. In exchange, he'll let my daughter go. How pathetic.. I didn't even know I had a daughter."

Josiah could feel his body shaking, though he wasn't sure if it was due to the severity of the situation or from anger. "What?! Why didn't you kick his ass?"

"Ya think I didn't want to?" Warut's eyes focused on Josiah, his fist clenched to the point where he felt as if his knuckles were begging to ram into someone. "He has a few subordinates that are also Stand users, I wouldn't stand a chance."

"Wait, only a few subordinates? Is he just confident in his abilities?" Sophia asked, raising her hand as if she were in a classroom, "I don't get it. He sounds like someone who would want to be guarded constantly."

"I dunno," Warut retorted, a deep breath leaving his lungs, "He has a few other friends who work with him, but they don't work in Osaka. He's either really stupid or he's just really strong, and both are kinda scary. The point is, he has the arrow, and I'm sure it was him or one of his little punk friends that shot Sophia."

"What do you suggest we do?" Shinnosuke asked, an anxious flutter adding to his voice as he sighed, "I know that we're going to have to confront him and save your daughter, we just need a game plan."

"What, you plan to fight him?" Warut nearly shouted this in shock, almost flabbergasted at the sudden bravery despite everything he told the other three beside him. "I'm fine with going to jail, as long as my daughter is safe. I might not know her, but, she's family."

Josiah stood up quickly, a determined look on his young face as he looked down upon Warut. "Yeah, fuck that. That isn't happening as long as I'm here to help. The three of us just need a plan."

Sophia suddenly coughed loudly before staring at Josiah, somewhat irritated. "Uh, I'm right here! I'm coming with you! I have a Stand, so I can be useful!"

"No, you're not coming," Josiah replied without skipping a beat, as if he was a father overlooking their child, "No one's getting hurt on my watch. Besides, your Stand just came to you yesterday."

"Hey, don't be so hard on her!" Warut countered, standing from the sofa as well, "I think she should come. The more people on our side, the better. She can work with Shinnosuke, since his Stand isn't suited for fightin'."

"He's right,' Shinnosuke interjected, raising one of his fingers into the air, "Her teleportation ability would be really handy if we get into a tight spot, or if we need to come up with a plan in the matter of a few seconds."

Josiah grumbled under his breath, a clear look of defeat on his face. "Fine, she can come. I just want everyone to know how serious this is since we're apparently dealing with a really dangerous guy."

"At least you're letting me help," Sophia said, smiling sweetly at him before standing up, making her way over to Warut. "So, if I'm not mistaken, this Daichi is probably either surrounded or closed off from his guards, right?"

"Mhm," Warut nodded his head, his black mist suddenly wrapping around his body, "We need to have two plans, then, but we don't know how many men he'll have with him. We could be totally numbered for all we know, even if we do catch him by surprise. He's living in a warehouse in a really poor district of Osaka, but I think I remember what it looks like."

"That's good," Shinnosuke said with a comforting smile, patting Warut's back encouragingly, "I think we should all stick together if possible, but that might not work. Worst case scenario, each of his deal with someone on our own, or we rush them and make our way to Daichi immediately, though I doubt they'll let that happen, since they're all Stand users."

"We have no way of knowing what kind of abilities they might have either," Josiah added, pacing back and forth across the room as he rubbed his chin, "Warut and I can handle people by ourselves, but you and Sophia gotta work together. Those quiet spaces are deadly, but you have to make sure you're ready to use them if you have to."

"Yeah," Shinnosuke cringed at the mention of his Stand's power, "I don't wanna kill anyone, but if they're threatening another human life, I'll try to do what I can."

"So, we should hold off the Stand users while Warut goes to free his daughter? We don't have to fight Daichi if we don't have to!" Sophia suggested, a confident smirk creeping up on her face, "Yeah, that's a great idea!"

"I think that's a good idea," Warut replied, smiling at the mention of avoiding conflict with the man himself, "If we're fast enough, he won't be able to catch us. I doubt he would be able to take on four Stand users at once!"

"I think we're all set then," Shinnosuke said before reaching into his pants pocket, then suddenly tossing car keys at Warut, "We can take my car, but we have to make sure we park far away from the warehouse. Warut, you drive, since you're the only one here who knows where it is."

"Got it!" Warut replied as he caught the car keys, then quickly headed to the front door as the other three followed. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to get this over with, as he was brimming with anticipation to set this daughter of his free.

[One hour later…]

2:30 PM.

Warut parked the car in a seemingly abandoned lot of a decrepit grocery store, the stone foundation of it showing signs of wear and tear. "Alright, we're close. Just follow me.." He spoke quickly and somewhat quietly as he tossed the car keys back to Shinnosuke, who had been sitting in the back with Sophia.

All four doors of the automobile opened as each of them pulled themselves out from it, keeping their eyes peeled as Warut took the lead, who had been showing them what appeared to be a very tight alleyway.

On one side of the alleyway had been the side of the abandoned grocery store, showing the group that there had been vines intruding in on it. On the other side was a rather wide warehouse, its windows being barred by iron beams, with a steel door in the front.

"This is it," Warut whispered, his black mist coiling around his body as he slowly approached, "Are you guys ready? We're gonna have the upperhand, just be careful."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Josiah replied with a nod, though he almost froze as he saw a figure in the corner of his eye, standing on the roof of the grocery store, "Shit. Guys.. we're being watched!"

"What?!" His three companions almost shouted this simultaneously as the slender figure hopped from the roof, showing itself to the group. It had been a slender woman with long, ginger red hair. She seemed to be just as tall as Shinnosuke.

A brown leather jacket was draped over her grey t-shirt, she had also been wearing a pair of blue jeans that had been ripped at the knees, below that she wore a pair of sneakers, and her brown hair had been tied into a bun.

"Neat," She said, licking her lips as she stepped towards the group, her hazel brown eyes burning into Warut, "Seems you brought us some visitors, eh? I thought the boss said not to come back until your job was done."

"Fuck you Astrid," Warut protested before spitting at the woman's feet, looking back to the other three, "She's the only one here, what do you think we should do?"

"You guys go ahead," Josiah said as he began to walk towards the woman, his Stand appearing beside him, "I'll handle her while the rest of you find Warut's daughter. This won't take too long, I promise."

"Wait, are you sure? We could all gang up on her!" Sophia offered, worry clouding her eyes as her own Stand appeared next to her, seemingly ready to do whatever it would take to make sure no one would have to fight alone.

"Oh, so all of you have Stands? This could be really troublesome," Astrid chuckled, her lips curving up into a confident smile, "It doesn't matter if one of you or all four of you fight me, I won't lose, you know."

"Sophia, I know what I'm doing," Josiah replied, ignoring the woman as his head slightly turned to his friend, "The rest of you better hurry, I'll kick her ass quickly."

Shinnosuke nodded, pushing the warehouse door open, "Come on guys, let's just hurry!" He said before walking in. Warut followed closely, but Sophia stayed for a few seconds longer before leaving as well.

"Aren't you the confident one?" Astrid teased, extending her hand to reveal a grey mask, which resembled a tragedy mask. It also had one nail on each side of the mask, and its eyes seemed empty. "This is my Stand, Scar the Martyr. I can already tell your Stand uses brute force, so this shouldn't take too long."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Josiah murmured before his eyes looked to the strange mask, confused by the fact that it didn't seem to show signs of life, "I didn't expect a Stand like that. Let's get this over with."

"Wow, you won't even have a conversation with your killer?" Astrid snickered before placing the mask on her face, which seemed to instantly accommodate to it. "Get ready to die then, kid!"

Josiah instantly charged towards his opponent, his Stand preparing to throw its fist as he came closer and closer. Suddenly, his eyes widened as Astrid pointed two fingers at him, watching as two nails shout out from them.

"The fuck?" Josiah nearly stopped in his tracks, though he suddenly flew back with a cry of pain. The nails embedded themselves in his jacket, effectively pinning him to the wall at the end of the alleyway. "What was that?!"

"Your Stand's range isn't that great," Astrid stated as she walked towards Josiah, who was unable to get free of the building he had been binded to, "Scar the Martyr improves my physical capabilities. It also lets me shoot out nails that can pin someone to any hard surface. You won't be able to strike me as long as I keep my distance."

"Downplay, smash these nails!" Josiah shouted upon hearing this information, his metallic Stand moving one of its fists and punching the nails embedded into its user's clothes, effectively breaking them into pieces. "You're gonna need something else to restrain me, you know."

"You're going to need more than fists to beat me," Astrid mocked, one arm crossed over the other as she pointed her fingers towards him, "If you come at me, I'll just pin you down again. Are you stupid?"

"Bring it!" Josiah yelled as he stood there, thoughts running through his mind as he smirked, as if he had the perfect solution, "What's wrong? Just try to pin me down again! I'll just dodge it!"

"Your Stand might be physically tough, but I doubt you're that fast on your own, kid!" Astrid yelled, irritated as two more nails shot out from her fingertips, aiming them towards Josiah's legs as he stared down at them.

Downplay suddenly jumped in front of him, the wires hanging from its fingers grabbing the nail, then suddenly sending it back into her own leg, causing her to fall to the ground, one of her legs stuck to the concrete.

"Don't underestimate your opponent," Josiah said, walking around her as a look of annoyance painted her face, "That's what you've been telling me, right? Well, practice what you preach, dumbass."

Astrid watched as he suddenly charged, cringing as Downplay's fist came crashing against the mask, causing it to crack slightly. Though, she smirked as a glow of grey light coursed through the Stand's arm.

Josiah felt a sudden stiffness in his left arm as he looked down, noticing that it was stuck to his side. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to move it, and it appeared that it was the same for his Stand.

"What the hell?!" Josiah shouted, distressed as the woman suddenly stood up, the nail in her leg fading as she grabbed Josiah's other arm, effectively doing the same thing to it. "You tricked me!"

"Such an idiot," Astrid smirked, running her index finger down the crack in her mask, "It only makes sense that I can get rid of the nails. I'm also able to lock body parts if I make contact with my enemy, even if I can only bind two at a time. Point is, you won't be punching me any time soon."

 _Shit, I've gotten myself into this mess, now how do I get out of it? I still have my two legs, so that should be enough. She can still bind my legs, though. Shit, Josiah, think.._ Josiah thought to himself, his eyes careening over to Downplay's hand, noticing that one of its fingers had been missing.

Josiah's eyes quickly turned to the left of him, noticing that the finger had been stuck to the side of the abandoned grocery store, though he wasn't entirely sure why this was. Was Downplay hit really hard, or was this something else entirely?

"Alright, Astrid," Josiah smirked, looking up at her as he bit down on his lower lip, "I'm not giving up! Because I have a secret plan!"

Astrid looked curious, though she shook her head as she began to laugh. "I guess you've gone crazy! There's no way you're getting out of this!"

Josiah's eyes focused on the finger that had been stuck to the side of the building, sighing as he turned back over to the woman, _I can only hope this works in my favor.._

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Sophia Milena  
Age: 20  
Stand: Saint Peter  
Stand Statistics  
Power - D  
Speed - B  
Durability - A  
Precision - A  
Range - A  
Development Potential - C

 **FIXED Downplay Stat Sheet  
** Power - A  
Speed - B  
Durability - C  
Precision - A  
Range - E  
Development Potential - B


	5. Warut's Daughter Is In Distress! (2)

_**Warut's Daughter Is In Distress, Part 2!**_

December 31st, 2:40 PM.

Josiah darted towards his opponent as sweat poured down the side of his head, the only thought in his head consisting of trying to defeat her so he could go help his friends. He grit his teeth as Downplay suddenly swung its right leg at Astrid's face.

"Still going for physical brawn, huh?" Astrid taunted as two nails shot at Downplay's leg, effectively pinning that one to the ground, though that certainly didn't stop it as its other leg came around, planting itself in the woman's gut.

Josiah's eyes watched as the wires hanging off of Downplay's fingers moved seemingly on their own, ripping out the nail embedded in its leg as stood back up on two feet. "All you can do is bind my limbs and try to pin me down. You're too afraid to get close to me, so I'll have to bring the fight to you!"

"Goddamn it," Astrid murmured before pointing two fingers on each hand at Josiah, each nail shooting out and grabbing ahold of his hands and feet, bringing him all the way back to the end of the alleyway, "That hurt like hell, but now you can't use anything to hit me, and it'll take way too long for those wires to pluck out my nails!"

Astrid rushed towards Josiah who closed his eyes in preparation, sure as hell that her fist was about to meet with his face. Though, he felt nothing, oddly enough.. it was almost as if he completely avoided the attack.

As he opened his eyes, he noticed that he was standing behind her, his arms no longer bound to him. His blue eyes motioned over to the part of Downplay's finger that had been clinging to the building, and noticed that words with a green glow had been emitting from it: RESTORED.

Josiah quickly tapped Astrid's shoulder, trying to sort what had happened through his mind as she turned around. A look of horror overcame her face as a fist crashed into the mask, then another, and another until it began to slowly crack apart.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Downplay cried as one final fist lodged itself into her gut, sending her crashing into the concrete wall of the grocery store. Downplay bent down and picked up its index finger, twisting it back onto its left hand.

"Wh.. what did you do?" Astrid weakly asked, the mask on her face cracking into pieces as blood ran down from her nostrils, her body nearly unmoving if it wasn't for the fact that she was breathing desperately.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Josiah replied, staring over at her, "It seems there's more to my Stand that meets the eye. I think it restored me in the condition I was before my limbs were locked, as it recognized that as a threat apparently. I guess I'm not all brawn, huh?"

"Fuck you.." Astrid gasped out as her limbs gave in completely, her body falling flat on the concrete ground as the bits of her Stand flew away into the wind, rendering her powerless for good.

"Wait, what?!" Josiah rushed towards her, placing two of his fingers over her wrist, though no pulse made itself known. "That wasn't a killing blow, this isn't right.."

Josiah's eyes caught something on the side of her head, noticing what seemed to be a screw drilled into that side, and vice versa. Unsure of what to make of this, he stood up and began to walk towards the entry of the warehouse.

"Seems as though she died on command," Josiah murmured to himself as he pushed the door open, his hand balling up into a tight fist, "That bastard Daichi must be behind this.."

[Inside the warehouse…]

Shinnosuke and Sophia snuck their way through several evenly spaced corridors, beads of sweat incessantly rolling down their faces as they tried their best to not be seen, though Shinnosuke was especially nervous, as usual.

 _Why did Warut have to run off like that? He might be going the wrong way, what if we get stuck with Daichi?_ Shinnosuke thought to himself as he walked behind Sophia, his fist clenched as they turned through another corridor.

Sophia suddenly stopped in her tracks as she heard footsteps coming from the next corridor, her eyes shifting forward and then to a door on the left. "Shinnosuke, c'mon." She whispered before heading through the door silently with her companion following.

The room they entered proved to be a possible mistake. It had a few book shelves, a desk with several pens inside of a coffee cup, and a bed in the corner of the room. As the footsteps came closer and closer, Sophia and Shinnosuke quickly dived under the bed and watched the front door intently.

The door slowly opened as a male figure stepped through, which then closed the door behind him nonchalantly. He had long red hair that hit his shoulders, a white tanktop and a pair of blue jeans, with a pair of black sneakers to match. He also appeared to have a scar across his face that formed into the shape of an X.

"Yeah, boss, I'm back in my room," He spoke, holding a cellphone to his ear as he stepped towards the desk, "Warut Mizushima and a few buddies of his made there way inside of the warehouse, and I think one of them is fighting Astrid at the moment."

Sophia eased back a little as she tried to observe the room a little more closely, looking for an opening that could distract the man, what would leave them an opening to escape from this room? She needed to surprise him, but how?

"Yeah, the Stand is fine, Daichi," He said, smirking as he sat at his desk, twirling the pens in his coffee cup around, "How's that program you're working on? Firestart, I think it's called?"

Sophia looked over to Shinnosuke who had gone completely pale, but it wasn't like she could blame him. His Stand had no battle capabilities, but her Stand could be used to potentially give him time to come up with a plan.

"C'mon boss, soon enough I'm going to be the infamous Altaire Vicente! I just have to track down these idiots and dispose of them, but I think I'm going to kick back and wait for them to come to me, y'know?" Altaire bragged, setting his feet up on the desk as he chuckled.

Sophia's Stand appeared next to her, crouched as well as she pointed towards the floor beneath Altaire, and the cup of pens just above the man's face. Suddenly, two small beads of light hit those exact spots.

"Eh?" Altaire paused, looking at his cup of pens before they suddenly slipped into what appeared to be a blue portal, though his eyes immediately looked down as the pens suddenly came from below, stabbing him in his shoulders and his face, drawing blood easily from the onslaught. "What the fuck?!"

Sophia squeezed herself out from under the bed, only looking back to find that Shinnosuke had began to follow her as they ran out from the room, the man still screaming in anger and pain, making it clear that he noticed the two as they ran out of his room.

As they ran down the corridor, they came to a sudden stop when they saw that one of the nearby walls abruptly cracked open. Altaire stepped out from it, blood still dripping down his face as a figure stood next to him.

There was no doubt that it was a Stand. It had the appearance of a humanoid genie with green skin, its body being very human-like despite the two yellow orbs on its head. It wore a trilby and a business suit, and also sat upon a cloud that seemed to be made of dollar bills. It had the number one on its abdomen, the humber five on its chest, twenty on its left shoulder, fifty on its right, and the number one hundred on its forehead.

"You bastards aren't going anywhere!" Altaire shouted as his left hand grazed his face, wiping the blood from his cheeks. "You're Warut's friends, huh? Don't you think two Stand users against one is a little unfair?"

Shinnosuke pressed his hand against the wall and started to walk backwards, pulling Sophia along with him. "Unfair? You don't have the right to call us that, you're holding a man's daughter prisoner!"

"C'mon, we gotta do some things to get our work done!" Altaire argued as he walked towards them, his hand grazing along the wall as he smirked, "Warut's a wanted man, so it's not like anyone would miss him if he went to prison."

"He's.. what? I didn't know that.." Sophia murmured, watching as her friend's expression suddenly darkened, slowing down as he came to the end of the corridor, his hand still moving along the wall.

"What? You're helping him get his daughter back, and you don't even know he's a criminal? Haha, I can't believe you idiots!" Altaire's quiet chuckling turned to boisterous laughter, a hand on his stomach as he completely lost it.

"Yeah, I guess I didn't know. But I don't care!" Shinnosuke shouted as a portion of the wall suddenly had a glowing white outline, much to Altaire's surprise. The outline suddenly became a row of teeth that closed in on Altaire's hand, though he jumped back in shock as soon as it clamped down on his thumb and his index finger.

Altaire jumped back as blood sprayed from where his thumb used to be, and it seemed that his index finger was hanging on by a thread as a look of sheer agony twisted his face, his eyes full of hatred for this duo.

"That's it, that's the last time you hurt me!" Altaire shouted as he ran towards Shinnosuke, his Stand floating next to him as he closed in on the two of them, slamming his palms on each of their abdomens.

Out of nowhere, a dull pain resonated through their bodies as they looked down at where he struck them, noticing that a five dollar bill had been placed on each of them, though the pain wasn't too great.

"Ouch, what did you do?!" Sophia shouted as her own Stand came out in front of her, its sword drawn as she stared at Altaire, her hand on her abdomen as she slowly backed away from him, her eyes scanning him.

"My Stand, Pay Money To My Pain, has the ability to place an American dollar bill on someone's body. The higher the currency, the more it hurts! So you're lucky I didn't decide to go all out on you for taking away my thumb!" Altaire shouted, a smile growing on his face as he clenched his fist, blood dripping down from his hand.

"You're going to bleed out if you don't treat your wound," Shinnosuke responded, an uneasy look on his sweat drenched face, "Besides, it seems your Stand's range isn't that great! You'll pass out before you beat us!"

"Enough chitchat!" Sophia interrupted as two small beads of light shot from Saint Peter's sword, one of the beads of light formed into a portal several feet away from them on the ceiling, and the other one was right below Altaire,

"What the fuck?!" Altaire let out a surprised scream as he fell through the floor and through the portal in the ceiling, his body crashing onto the ground. "How.. your Stand looks so fat, how did it move that fast?!"

As he struggled to pick himself up, he could only see that Shinnosuke had been whispering in this woman's ear, as if he was passing a secret onto her. Finally, he stood up on his two feet as he rushed towards them once more, a one hundred dollar bill forming on his Stand's palms.

A bead of light fell onto his abdomen, forming a portal on his body as his Stand closed in on Sophia, though he realized something odd.. she had a portal on her abdomen too!

Altaire wanted to stop, but it was too late. His Stand's palm went through the portal on Sophia's chest, then they faded - revealing that the one hundred dollar bill was on his abdomen now. He panted heavily, attempting to throw a punch at her.

His punch barely made it through the air as a burst of pain shot through his body, his mouth spitting blood as he fell to his knees, his arms holding his body as he screamed, his eyes wide with terror.

Though, he went quiet as his lanky body fell to the cold floor, making it apparent that he hadn't just fell unconscious. Shinnosuke quickly walked over to him and placed his hand on his chest, only to feel no heartbeat.

"This makes no sense.. was the pain too much for his body to handle? I don't understand.." Shinnosuke trailed off as his hands felt around his wrist for a pulse, only to feel nothing there as well; though, he did notice that there seemed to be two screws drilled into his head.

"I expected that to be a lot harder," Sophia said as she looked down the corridor, sighing as she walked forward, "He did say something about some project called Firestart, but I don't know if that has to do with this. Let's keep moving!"

"R-right." Shinnosuke nodded in agreement, standing up as he trudged down the corridor as well, feeling guilty despite the fact that he wasn't the one that killed the man, "Just hold on, Warut…"

[Deeper in the warehouse…]

A steel door flew open as Warut darted into a room, Stratovarius wrapping itself around his body as he observed everything. It seemed to be an office, having a desk and a chair turned away from him, it also had a bookcase to the side.

Though, what caught his eye was the left wall. Warut's eyes widened, seeing that a girl he only saw in pictures was chained against it. She was rather short, and had short blonde hair. She wore a green tank top that showed off her midriff, a short sleeve cherry red jacket, a black skirt, and a pair of socks that had a green and red African pattern.

"Dororesu!" Warut rushed towards her, though he stopped as the chair turned, showing a male figure with his legs crossed staring right at him, a bow and arrow in his hands. "No.. goddamn it, I was home free!"

"Too bad for you." He stood up, showing that he was a little bit taller than Josiah. He wore a black leather jacket with a blue suit underneath it, having a black tie as well, combined with black dress pants and leather shoes. "What did you expect, Warut? This is the bait, and you came swimming right to it! I knew you wouldn't obey orders!"

"Shut the fuck up, Daichi!" Warut shouted in anger, throwing a fist at the man's face, though he moved out of the way. In response, a figure came out from Daichi and slammed its fist against Warut's left cheek, sending him flying across the room.

Warut groaned as he hit the solid wall, though he immediately picked himself up. What he saw was nothing like he expected. Daichi's Stand had to have been at least seven feet tall, its skin a dark purple. It had gnarled teeth on its face, though it had no eyes to match; it also had claws protruding from its fingers, as well as a black vortex on its abdomen.

"Poor Warut, if only you had listened to orders." Daichi teased, pulling back the arrow as he aimed at Dororesu, who was unconscious despite the commotion. He let the arrow run free, watching as it embedded itself into her throat, blood spraying onto the floor.

A green light would burst from her throat as he pulled the arrow out from her body, though nothing visible happened aside from the wound healing itself. He shrugged, placing the bow and arrow in the corner of the room.

"She certainly has the aptitude," Daichi grinned sadistically, turning over to Warut as he pointed his finger at him, "I don't think Social Distortion wants you to interfere, Warut. So, why don't you take a step forward?"

Social Distortion pointed its finger at the middle of the room, almost as if it was giving the same look of sadism, its claws dragging across its jagged teeth while something began to rise out of the floor.

It appeared to be a mold of some kind, the size of it being the size of an average man. Warut was sweating profusely as he took a step forward, though his feet started to drag forward, the vortex in the center of Social Distortion's body swirling around.

Warut screamed as his body was forced inside the mold, the entirety of it closing in on him as he fell silent, a sly smirk on Daichi's grin as he stepped towards the mold in the center of the room, his hands in his pockets.

"Should have listened to me, Mizushima!" Daichi grinned as he turned from the silenced man, "Before I'm done with you, you'll be reliving every traumatic event in your life. You'll be nothing but a shell when I'm done with you!"

"Like hell he will!" A distant voice shouted, prompting Daichi to turn around as the door to his office flew off its hinges, revealing Josiah standing in the doorway as he gritted his teeth. "This is the end of the line for you, Daichi!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Shinnosuke  
Age: 23  
Stand: The Sound Of Silence  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - A  
Durability - ?  
Precision - B  
Range - A  
Development Potential - E


	6. Warut's Daughter Is In Distress! (3)

_**Warut's Daughter Is In Distress, Part 3!**_

December 31st, 2:50 PM.

Josiah's sky blue eyes felt as if they were going to burn into Daichi's, his ears perking up as two sets of approaching footsteps made themselves audible as they ran towards the room, Downplay crossing its arms as it seemed to glare at Social Distortion.

"Oh, your friends are coming!" Daichi chimed, smirking as he walked around the room, his muscles relaxing as his Stand followed him around, able to see that two new figures were making their way into his office.

Sophia and Shinnosuke ran into the room, barely behind Josiah as their eyes met with the strange mold in the center of the floor. Shinnosuke gulped, his body involuntarily backing away as he wiped sweat from his brow.

"What.. what is that thing, Josiah?" Sophia asked, her finger shaking as she pointed to it, her Stand standing by her defensively. "And where's Warut? I thought he would be here by now.."

"It's a shell, I think," Josiah started, his eyes continually following Daichi as he walked around the room, "Warut is inside of it, and that girl over on the wall is his daughter. Do you think you guys can help Warut and Dororesu while I fight this asshole?"

"I don't recommend it," Daichi's smug smile instantly dissipated as he grimaced, "If you try to touch Warut, my Stand will leave a nasty cut on your face, whether I want it to happen or not."

"I don't buy it!" Sophia darted towards the mold that wrapped itself around Warut's body, her hand reaching out to try and pry it open. She suddenly froze as Social Distortion's body, which resembled that of a nightmarish monster, lunged forward and sliced her cheek with one of its many claws, blood almost immediately dripping out from her face as she groaned loudly in torment.

"I told you," Daichi said, his heavy hazel eyes staring down at Sophia condescendingly, "My Stand, Social Distortion, makes up a rule every minute, and I have to speak that rule. If you don't obey it, your action is punished through physical pain."

"I don't care what your Stand does! Get it away from her!" Josiah shouted as he rushed forward, Downplay throwing a quick punch at Social Distortion's featureless face, a quiet murmur under its breath as the punch pushed it away from Sophia, though it showed no sign of pain.

"Josiah, his Stand seems to be a lot more durable than it looks! What do you think we should do?!" Shinnosuke asked as he bent down, putting an arm around Sophia while he cleaned up the wound with his shirt sleeve, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sophia mumbled, standing up as she bit down on her lower lip, the bite hard enough to the point where it could make it bleed.

"Stay out of this, Shinnosuke," Josiah replied, keeping his distance from Social Distortion, "Sound of Silence might be needed, but you can't get caught in the crossfire. If you and Sophia come up with a plan, do something, but warn me."

Daichi gave a look of amusement as he circled Josiah, his Stand's tongue running over its jagged teeth while he did so. "You're never going to beat me with just power, Social Distortion is too durable and unpredictable, even for me!"

"We'll see about that," Josiah grunted, giving a look of concern to his two friends before charging ahead, Downplay's fists clenched tightly, "Now let's go!"

[Inside the shell…]

Warut's eyes pried themselves open as a cold wind brushed by his cheek, a dull pain echoing throughout his body as he attempted to get a good look at his surroundings. As he looked, he noticed that he had been standing in front of a rather small school, the color of it being a rather dull white. There were dozens of windows, the doors were shut, but the most unsettling thing had to be a strange sound.. it sounded like someone was crying, almost.

Warut, despite feeling frozen, forced himself to walk forward as he caught a glimpse of dying trees that had surrounded the school's borders. The sobbing grew louder and more noticeable as he turned a corner, gasping as he stared at a boy who was huddled up in the corner.

"That can't be right.." Warut bent down on one knee as he stared at the child, his eyes full of pain as he watched the child sob uncontrollably into his own arms. The nose, the hazel eyes, the blonde hair, it was all too clear to Warut. "This is me.."

"Hey, Mizushima!" A rough voice shouted rudely, which could be described as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing on each other, "Why're you cryin' out here? You're supposed to be paying up! You still owe me a debt."

"Please, go away.." The smaller Mizushima murmured as he looked up, seemingly staring at his older self. Warut almost screamed as the older boy's foot slammed against the child's face, sending him flying.

"No!" Warut shouted at the child, rushing towards him with his fist clenched, though the scenery suddenly shifted. The bang of a gunshot reverberated into the air, prompting Warut to look in that direction.

Warut watched as an elderly woman fell onto the cold pavement, a light drizzle splashing against the road as a scream of primal rage made itself known, several police officers backing up as they watched a fist fly across the air and into the nose of a cop that had been holding a pistol in his right hand.

As he looked upon the scene, his lower lip quivered as he watched a younger version of himself, with longer blonde hair, pummel the police officer. Various obscenities filled his ears as he stared on in horror, his body frozen at the sight of the woman's corpse.

"Mom.." Warut murmured as a tear rolled down his cheek, his shirt sleeve wiping it off as he took a few steps back, his hands clutching his he fell to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes. "Make it stop.. MAKE IT STOP! LET ME THE FUCK OUT!"

[Outside…]

Daichi jumped onto his desk, his arms crossed as he watched Josiah pant heavily, Downplay's knuckles dirtied and worn, with no sign of Social Distortion showing the slightest bit of ache or uncertainty.

"Oh, new rule," Daichi announced, a sly grin on his face as he slipped his hands into his pants pockets, "You can't leave this room, or my Stand will cut your fingertips off. There's no escape for you any more! This just makes it so much easier."

"Outta the way!" An airy voice shouted as Josiah ducked at the last moment, yelping as a sharp blade sliced through the air, bits of Daichi's leather jacket flying off as blood seeped from his new wound. "Nice catch!"

Josiah looked behind Daichi to see that the person who had attacked was rather familiar. The chains on the wall had been broken, and there had been a woman with short blonde hair wielding a sharp blade.

"Wait.. Dororesu?! How did you get out of those chains?!" Shinnosuke asked suddenly, a look of utter happiness spreading like a disease on his face. "You have a Stand! We couldn't have possibly gotten this lucky!"

"I don't know what the hell is going on," Dororesu said, wielding the blade in her left hand as she grit her teeth, her feet somewhat spreading apart as she placed herself into a fighting stance, "But you won't be killing my dad, you fucker! That arrow through the throat hurt like hell, and I don't know what's going on, but I can make blades out of my blood! Who knows, maybe I can do more things when I kick Daichi's ass!"

"You won't hit me again! Besides, you can't leave this room, what do you think you're going to accomplish?!" Daichi shouted, grunting in frustration as his hand clasped his shoulder, applying pressure to his fresh wound.

"That applies to you too, then!" Sophia added, pointing her index finger at him as she slowly stood up, "If your Stand's ability applies to everyone, you can't leave either! We're not trapped in here with you, you're trapped in here with us!"

"That doesn't matter, I can still kill you without leaving this room!" Daichi shouted angrily as Social Distortion launched itself at Sophia, its fist soaring through the air before Downplay's met with it, completely stopping it in its tracks.

"Your Stand might be incredibly durable, but you're outclassed when it comes to power!" Josiah exclaimed, the wires hanging from Downplay's fingers suddenly shooting up and wrapping around Social Distortion's neck.

"Goddamn it.." Daichi wheezed as he gripped at his throat, his neck showing visible signs of strain, "Even if you strangle me.. My Stand can fight back! This is Mizushima's fight, or are you just his miniscule army? Are you always going to fight all his battles?!"

Josiah's concentration slightly slipped as he gasped lightly, barely noticing that Social Distortion had rocketed towards him and planted its fist across his jaw, sending him to the ground as the wires around its neck loosened.

Dororesu suddenly charged, her blade thrusting towards Daichi as a magenta aura emanated from her body. Social Distortion propelled itself towards her, barely stopping it as it cut into his left hip.

"Goddamn it, I can't move my blade!" Dororesu bellowed, grunting as the blade didn't move a single centimeter despite the force she applied to it. She quickly jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding an incoming punch from Social Distortion's sleek fist.

Daichi grinned despite his injury, a wide smile plastered itself onto his face as he chuckled. "Social Distortion is unstoppable! Its power may be rivaled by your Stand, Josiah, but its ability is unstoppable! Oh, new rule!"

Suddenly, his confident smile faded from his face as sweat began to roll down his face, the other four of them watching in anticipation. Social Distortion cracked the knuckles on its hands before looking over to Sophia.

"The new rule.. Is an addition. Whoever leaves this room will have their heart ripped from their chest." Daichi seemed to be rather worried by this, since it may have been possible that they could now push him out. But would they try such a move? They didn't seem like the type of people who would let someone die.

Social Distortion pushed itself towards Sophia, one of its clawed hands outstretched in an attempt to drag its sharp claws across her chest. It only took a moment, but Saint Peter suddenly formed a portal on Sophia's chest and one on Social Distortion's.

An inhuman screech echoed throughout the room as its own attack slashed against its chest, black blood dripping from the wound as Daichi suddenly yelped, a fresh claw mark appearing on his chest as blood seeped from his body.

"I'll kill you all!" Daichi screamed, unbridled rage coursing through his bones as he set his eyes on Sophia, noticing that Josiah had trouble standing after the blow to his jaw. "I'll win this fight, die!"

As his Stand made its way towards Sophia, it almost stopped for a moment as it noticed something; was there a crack in the mold that Warut had been trapped inside?

[Inside the shell…]

Warut stood in silence as a sea of nothingness enveloped his sight, his fists clenched as he looked upward, if there was even a direction in a place like this. Stratovarius suddenly wrapped around his muscular frame, giving him a squeeze as if it was trying to comfort him.

"I can't stay here," Warut murmured, a heavy sigh exiting his lungs, "If I stay here, everyone is going to die. I can't let that happen, not to Josiah after he promised to help me get my daughter back! He doesn't even know I'm a convict! He barely knows me, but he wanted to help.. I have to repay that favor!"

As he shouted into the abyss, tears dropped from his eyes as a purple aura enveloped his body, the tear drops hitting what could constitute as a floor. "I won't die here for nothin'! I'm getting out of here, goddamn it!"

[Outside the shell…]

Cracks slowly spread throughout the shell, and the same could be said for Social Distortion's head. It seemed as if the damage done to this mold was affecting it as well while it began to shatter.

Suddenly, black blood erupted from Social Distortion's head as the shell broke apart, revealing a panting Warut with his misty Stand surround his body, his eyes directly focused on Daichi, a look of hatred burning into him.

"No! How did you get out?!" Daichi clutched his head as blood suddenly sprayed from his head as well. Though, he didn't receive an answer as Warut flew forward, his hand wrapping around his throat as he slammed him into the wall.

"Warut, you're okay!" Josiah smiled widely, breathing a sigh of relief as he stood up, his fists clenched as he a look of horror stretched across Daichi's face, Warut's hand still firmly wrapped around his throat.

"I'm going to kill you for what you've done, you piece of shit! No one hurts my daughter and gets away with it!" Warut screamed into his face, his left eye catching a glimpse of Dororesu who had been holding the blade close to her side for protection.

"Wait," Dororesu smirked, extending the blade outward as she looked directly at her father, "Toss him over here, dad! Let's show him not to mess with you OR me!"

Warut nodded before throwing him towards Dororesu's sword, his mouth barely managing to wheeze out a weak 'please' before the sword slid through his chest, piercing him through and through as his body fell limp, his Stand suddenly fading away.

Dororesu pulled the sword from his chest cleanly, pushing his body onto the ground as she put it on the desk next to her. She slowly looked up at Warut, her bottom lip quivering as she suddenly ran towards him, her arms wrapping around him tightly.

"H-huh? What are you doing? Uh, I expected you to hit me.." Warut murmured, shocked as he awkwardly reciprocated, holding her close as he smiled warmly. "Hey, it's okay.. everything's gonna be fine from now on, I promise."

"Hell no, I won't hit you!" Dororesu protested, her face buried in his chest as she sobbed, "You couldn't have known! I don't hate you, I'm just glad my dad is okay, after all the things mom told me about you!"

The other three smiled as well, resting their bodies against the wall of the office. "Well, I guess it's happily ever for you, Warut." Shinnosuke muttered, smiling brightly.

Josiah opened up his mouth to speak, though he was quickly interrupted as the ring of a cell phone made itself known to everyone. Each of them looked around in confusion before Josiah walked up to Daichi's corpse, sticking his hand into his jacket pocket to find the cellphone.

He pressed the answer button, holding it away from his ear as a loud voice spoke into his ear. "So, I take it that Daichi is dead? How impressive.. he had quite an impressive Stand, but I suppose not everyone is as lucky as I am."

"What the.. I can't even tell if it's a boy or girl.. It sounds completely genderless!" Shinnosuke commented, a look of intrigue yet worry washing over his face as he turned pale once more. "Please, tell me this is over!"

"Oh, it's over for now," It said, its voice completely jarring to the human ear, "Hmm.. let me see. You're Josiah Joestar, Terunosuke Fujiwara, Sophia Milena, Warut Mizushima, and Dororesu Matsumae, correct?"

"How the hell do you know that?" Warut shouted, slowly letting go of Dororesu as he began to grit his teeth, "What are ya, some kind of stalker?!"

"No, I merely enjoy collecting information!" It exclaimed, a slight chuckle emitting from the phone as it spoke, "I'm sure you'll see more of my work later, though. I will be keeping an eye on all of you. Especially you, Joestar!"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Josiah shouted as the unknown caller suddenly hung up, leaving him to pocket the phone. "I guess I'll keep this so we can try to investigate it later. Let's worry about that guy another day.."

"I need a hot bath after today," Dororesu stated, grabbing her blade as she sighed, "So, i guess you're all friends of my dad?"

"Yep!" Sophia replied, nodding with a wide grin, "We wanted to help him get you back! It was pretty tough, but I think this is the best way it could have gone!"

"I agree," Shinnosuke nodded as he pushed the door open, beads of nervous sweat still trickling down his face, "I really want to just relax for a long time after today, so I'm going to head back to the car."

"Thank you guys so much!" Dororesu bowed in appreciation, a look of sincere thankfulness painting her face. "I'm going to see if I can crash with a friend of mine before I get my own apartment. Also, uh, could you tell me about all this Stand stuff while we drive home?"

"Yeah, I got you covered." Josiah responded, giving her a thumbsup as walked out the door with a skip in his step, obviously happy that the endeavor had been laid to rest.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Daichi Shioru  
Age: 53  
Stand: Social Distortion  
Stand Statistics  
Power - B  
Speed - A  
Range - B  
Precision - B  
Durability - A  
Development Potential - E


	7. Kenji Rokuro Blows Off Some Steam!

_**Kenji Rokuro Blows Off Some Steam!**_

January 6th, 10:00 AM.

"Hey, Josiah, you got mail!" Shinnosuke announced throughout the apartment, waving his right hand at Josiah, which had been holding a letter with a red seal, "This looks really strange."

Josiah snatched out of his hand before sitting back into his sofa, one of his legs crossed over the other as he tore it open. "Yeah, I never get personal letters, so this oughta be good."

He pulled the letter out from the torn envelope, unfolding it as his eyes met with black ink. It read: "Hello, my name is Shiro Kansuke. I presume that you are Josiah Joestar, correct? If not, please ignore this. If so, thank you for taking the time to read this. I am hosting a Dungeons and Dragons game at my home in downtown Osaka. If you need clear directions, call me at 080-1234-5678. Otherwise, my home has a welcome sign for you and two game starts at three in the afternoon. I will see you then."

Josiah sat the letter down on his left knee, his eyebrows raised quizzically. "He knows my name.. that's suspicious. Do you wanna come with me, Shinnosuke?"

"No, I'm fine! I want to stay here and relax, besides, I don't really feel like getting into any more trouble than I have in the past few days." Shinnosuke replied, turning Josiah down with a hint of suspicion in his tone.

"Makes sense," Josiah pocketed the letter and stood up from his sofa, a brief yawn exiting his lips, "Ugh, and I only woke up thirty minutes ago.. I really hope this is just a friendly game. It's suspicious, but I might as well check it out to make sure the other people that are going will be safe."

Shinnosuke nodded as he bent down to a wooden table, picking up a television remote as he looked away from his friend. "Okay! Again, thank you for letting me stay here for the past few days. I've been so swamped with work, I don't know what to do."

"It's fine, man," Josiah responded with a warm smile, "Make yourself at home, you overwork yourself way too often. I'll see ya later!"

"See you!" Shinnosuke said as he waved goodbye to his friend as he made his way out the door, up until it finally closed firmly. "Now, I can get some me time.."

[On the streets... ]

Josiah's stomach rumbled almost violently as he ran his hand over it, his hands shaking as he trudged along the busy sidewalk. People clad in suits and dresses were moving along quickly, briefcases and stacks of paper in their arms as they rushed along the sidewalk.

"Shit, I'm hungry," Josiah mumbled as he ran a hand over his growling stomach, "I'll just stop by a shop and grab a quick bite to eat."

Josiah pushed his way through the growing crowds as he ran down the sidewalk. After running for around a minute, he managed to find himself in front of a Kansai Supermarket, breathing a sigh of relief in the process of finding it.

He eventually made his way through the entrance, his stomach rumbling incessantly as the warm atmosphere washed over him, giving him a short break from the cold, outside world; and luckily, it wasn't as crowded, either.

Josiah walked through a random aisle, his sky blue eyes scanning the shelves as he ran his hand along it, trying to find something that could satiate his hunger. He hummed to himself quietly as he quickly snatched a package off a shelf.

"Sakura daikon.. eh, it'll do." He murmured to himself as he turned to leave the aisle, only to hear a loud scream coming from the front of the store, which prompted him to quickly run forward, towards the source of the scream.

When he exited the aisle, he noticed a young man with a black school uniform, messy black hair, and a pair of glasses. He had been holding a handgun in his left hand, which had been aimed towards one of the male clerks.

"What are you screaming for?! Fork over the cash!" He shouted, stepping forward as he stared at the lanky cashier with a menacing scowl; suddenly, his eyes shifted over to Josiah. "What are you starin' at?!"

"You know, it isn't a good idea to point a gun at someone," Josiah replied, a smug smirk plastered on his face, "I suggest you put it down before I rip you in half. I just wanted a bite to eat, but y'know, you had to hold up the place."

"Dumbass! I warned you! You don't mess with Kenji Rokuro!" Kenji shouted as he hurriedly pulled the trigger, a single bullet flying towards Josiah's head. Though, right before it hit him, Downplay jumped forward and grabbed the sleek bullet with two fingers, completely stopping it in mid-air.

"Huh? The hell is that thing?" Kenji nearly stammered as a figure slid out of his body before floating beside him, its arms crossed. It had a rusted color to its skin, as well as three rad rots on each side of its body that pointed up. It had dull yellow orbs for eyes and was about the size of Kenji, standing at about five feet and seven inches tall.

"Shit," Josiah grunted, tossing the bullet to the floor with his Stand, "So you can see Downplay? Guess you aren't an ordinary gunman. I have a few questions for you now that I know you're a Stand user!"

"Stand? So that's what Filter's called!" Kenji said this, satisfied with learning what this power was apparently called, "Shut up! I'll have Filter rip you apart, no adult tells me what to do!"

"What a brat," Josiah sighed, clenching his fists as Downplay floated in front of him. Its emerald green orbs stared straight ahead as it prepared for battle, "Alright, you leave me no choice, kid."

Filter shot forward at a basic speed, its fist extended as smoke poured out from the end of the rat rods attached to its body. Before it managed to make contact with Downplay, who had already dodged out of the way, a sharp piece of concrete had grazed Kenji's cheek.

"Ugh, really?" An exasperated sigh exited the lungs of a young woman who walked around one of the shelves, her short black hair resting against her neck as a mechanical arm came to rest at her side, where her right arm should have been. 'I just wanted to eat something, but you had to cause a bunch of ruckus.. why are so many Stand users popping up?"

 _Huh? She can see our Stands? But.. where's her Stand? I can't see it.._ Josiah thought to himself as he backed up while Downplay's fist crashed into Filter's cheek, pushing it back several feet.

"The fuck?! Where's your Stand then, lady?!" Kenji cried as smoke billowed out from Filter's rat rods. Every single bit of it started to form into strange figures, though it was soon made clear that they were all copies of Filter.

"You're looking at it," Taiga commented, waving her right arm at him before charging ahead, her hand suddenly clenched into a fist before shoving it into the young man's gut, "And now you're feeling it, punk."

Kenji winced before pulling back, the intense blunt pain resonating through his body as he watched Josiah rush towards him from the corner of his eye.

Downplay sent its fists flying through several of the copies, all of them but one turning back into smoke as its fist finally made contact with the real Filter's head. Kenji grunted as blood seeped from his mouth, simply from the force of the punch.

"This isn't fair, I can't even lay a finger on you!" Kenji whined, falling onto his knees as he stared up at the two, his lower lip quivering. "I thought I could do whatever I wanted, as long as I have Filter!"

"How many places have you robbed, you rotten brat?" Taiga demanded as she cracked her knuckles, a crimson red aura overcoming her body as she did so.

"T-this is the first time, I swear! I only ever stole from strangers, so, please don't kill me!" Kenji begged, his hands clasped together as he looked up at the two with teary eyes.

"How and when did you get your Stand? Was it at least a week ago?" Josiah asked, his eyes bearing down on the child as his larger form tensed.

"No, I got it about two days ago.. I remember being shot in the stomach by an arrow, and when I woke up, I got this power." Kenji replied, calming down slightly as he sniffled, his sleeve brushing against his nose.

"Two days ago? That makes no sense, we have the damn thing.." Josiah murmured to himself before turning around, looking to one of the cashiers, who had looked absolutely dumbfounded. "Hey, go call the cops!"

"Huh? Y-yes sir!" He squeaked before running off, quite confused at what had just happened, but he wasn't about to argue.

"Hey," Josiah began as he turned to look at Taiga, "Thanks for the help, two on one is always nice. It was a coincidence, but I'm thankful."

"Oh, it's no problem," Taiga responded casually, smiling as she brushed her hair out of her face, "I was just on my way to some dumb game this strange guy invited me to. Knew my name and everything."

"Wait, I was invited to a game! Was the guy's name Shiro Kansuke?" Josiah asked, a hand brushing his chin as he smirked. "If I'm not the only Stand user, I'll be really happy."

"Yeah, that was his name! My name is Taiga." Taiga extended her hand to him, though it was more of an act of kindness than a formality.

"I'm Josiah Joestar," He responded, shaking her hand firmly before pulling away, noticing that the cashier from earlier was making his way back to his post, "You think we should wait till the cops get here to pick up this asshole?"

"Sounds good to me." Taiga responded, leaning against the brick wall as she crossed her arms, awaiting for the police to come and take Kenji away.

[At Josiah's apartment... ]

"Hey, is anyone home?!" Warut's rough voice shouted through the doorway as he made his way through, his hand still on the doorknob as the case around his shoulder swung a little bit.

"Huh? Oh, hi, Warut!" Shinnosuke replied, closing a notebook and setting it beside him, placing his pencil right beside it. "What's up?"

"Do you know anything about computers?" Warut asked, removing the black case from his shoulder and setting it on the table. "My laptop is acting really weird."

"Uh, I'm not an expert," Shinnosuke said, removing himself from the sofa, "What's wrong, exactly? We might have to take it to a repair shop.."

"So, I use Windows as my operating system," Warut began, resting one of his hands on the top of his laptop's casing, "But it changed for no real reason. It's Linux, and I can't change it back, no matter what I try."

Shinnosuke put a finger to his bottom lip before sighing, "I don't really know, then. Let's go ahead and take it to a computer repair shop, they'll probably know what to do."

"Alright." Warut nodded in agreement before slinging the case over his shoulder, his tone making it clear that he was irritated as he exited the room.

[At the repair shop…]

"How can I help you today?" The woman at the front desk asked, her arms resting on it as she smiled at the two, "Is it a virus, a hacker? Whatever it is, I can guarantee we'll be able to help!"

"Well," Warut started to speak as he slid his laptop's case off his shoulder, "My operating system randomly changed from Windows to Linux. No matter what I do, it won't go back to normal."

"I see," the woman replied, sliding the case towards her, "Personally, I think Linux is superior; but, we'll take it in for at least a day and fix it. You don't have to pay us until tomorrow!"

"Well, isn't that a relief, Warut?" Shinnosuke nudged him with his elbow, smiling brightly, "Thank you, miss.."

His voice trailed off as the television in the corner of the room, which had been sitting atop a wooden shelf, caught his attention. On the television was a reporter standing outside what seemed to be a rather enormous prison, her hands clutching her microphone tightly.

"Earlier this morning, a woman named Akiko Mikami escaped from Fuchū Prison in Tokyo! Police reported that she somehow escaped from solitary confinement, and somehow didn't alert the guards! Before her imprisonment, Akiko Mikami was guilty of murdering seven grown men, five grown women, and thirty nine children. Please be on the lookout, the Japanese government is taking this into their own hands and is sending their best policemen to find this woman!"

Shinnosuke shuddered, then frowned. "Well, at least the police are on it.. I think I've heard of her before. Eugh.. I hope she'll be brought to justice again."

"Yeah," Warut responded, then nodded to the woman at the front desk, "Thank you, I'll come by tomorrow!"

"Have a nice day!"

[Seven hours ago..]

January 6th, 3 AM.

Akiko Mikami's short black hair bounced against the back of her neck as she stepped through the hole she had made in her room, which was all she had known for the past month.

She tied a nurse's mask around her mouth, hiding the hideous scars that she was so well known for. A crimson red, fleshy figure appeared behind her as she walked, it held two scissors in its hands and stood at seven feet tall.

"Mm, here we go.." She murmured to herself as she stepped through the prison, the complete silence making it a little difficult to sneak around. As she went, she chopped guards in the neck with her Stand to knock them out, one by one. "Dead bodies will make the entire facility go on alert.. heh, I've never been this quiet before."

As the cold air brushed against Akiko's skin, she heard a small whimper coming from one of the cells, prompting her to look over to it.

Inside was a woman with a dull, dirtied green outfit. She had been hugging her knees, tears strolling down her face as she stared up at Akiko. "Huh.. who are you? Are you escaping?" She whispered, her lower lip quivering.

"Yeah," Akiko responded as her Stand propelled itself forward, its hands grabbing ahold of the bars, "Here we go, I'll get you out.."

The feminine figure pulled two of the bars apart, completely bending them to the point where the woman had a clear exit, though she had a look of intense confusion on her tear stained face as the Stand reverted back into Akiko's body.

"Huh? Well, uh," the woman quickly stepped out of the cell, her arms crossed as if she was trying to protect herself from the cold that circulated throughout the prison, "Thank you so much, my name is Kyuko.."

"Alright," Akiko nodded before turning around, her mask hiding her smile, "Let's go then." She quickly ran forward, not bothering to look behind her to see if Kyuko had been following her.

Five minutes had passed before they had managed to make it outside, the cold wind brushing against them as they stepped outside the prison, the front gates mangled and shattered as if a car had crashed into them.

"Oh god, thank you so much! I can't believe the shit they put me through.." Kyuko murmured, smiling warmly at Akiko who had her back turned from her, "So what's your name?"

Akiko grinned widely before turning around, her Stand slipping out of her once more as she cracked her knuckles. "Akiko Mikami, the name of your killer."

Before Kyuko could even scream, the crimson fist that had been invisible to her passed through her gut, her blood painting the ground beneath them. Her body had fallen weak before the Stand pushed it off of its fist, allowing it to carelessly fall to the ground beneath them.

Akiko breathed deeply as she began to walk forward. "Ah, I needed that.."

[Elsewhere…]

A television shut off as the camera panned up to a muscular old man with a wrinkled face, his feet propped up on a foot stool as he tossed the remote to the floor.

His lips curved downward, a heavy sigh following. "Damn it, guess I got some more work waiting for me.."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Kenji Rokuro  
Age: 16  
Stand: Filter  
Stand Statistics  
Power - C  
Speed - C  
Range - C  
Precision - B.  
Durability - C  
Development Potential - E


	8. This Is A Game Of Chance, JoJo! (1)

_**This Is A Game Of Chance, JoJo! Part 1!**_

January 6th, 2:00 PM.

Warut shivered as he rocked back in forth in his chair, the chilling atmosphere of the food court ultimately being a burden upon his body, as well as Shinnosuke's.

The latter tried to ignore this as he put his glass of lemonade onto the table, the air being cool enough to where he could see his own breath. "S-so.. Warut, how's Dororesu? I haven't seen her since you beat Daichi."

"Oh, she's fine," Warut said through his chattering teeth, "I think she named her Stand, uh.. Icicle Melts. She found out she can make blades out of water, so I'm sure it'll come in handy!"

"With luck, maybe we won't have to fight any more," Shinnosuke replied, lazily resting his cheek against his propped up left hand, "Is it me, or does it seem like ever since we've all met, there's been a lot more danger in Osaka?"

"Stand users attract one another is what I've learned," Warut stated, then shrugged nonchalantly, "I think we should expect more danger to come to us. That phone call we got after I killed Daichi was pretty fuckin' weird.."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Shinnosuke sighed, shuddering as the cold air continued to brush against his skin, "I doubt I'll be of any use."

Warut frowned at the sudden self-deprecation. "Don't say that! You did most of the work when we were fighting that Hiroshi shithead! I mean, I can't imagine how it feels having such a creepy Stand.. you're a really nice guy!"

"Well, thanks," Shinnosuke smiled weakly, but it seemed like that certainly struck a chord with him, "Anyway, enough about that. Let's just relax today.."

[Elsewhere…]

2:30 PM

Taiga and Josiah had both stopped in front of a home, which they had assumed was where they were meant to go. The building was made out of red brick, and it had a sign on the porch that read: "Dungeons and Dragons game! Come in!"

"Well, guess that's it," Taiga said as she stepped onto the porch, her prosthetic hand knocking on his door, "Hello, we're here!"

"Coming!" A tremulous voice called out as hurried footsteps tapped against the floor, and before long, the door had opened.

In front of the two was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. He had short white hair, hazel eyes, and had slightly tanned skin. He had been wearing a purple cape above a white t-shirt, as well as a pair of blue jeans.

"I assume you two are Josiah Joestar and Taiga.. uh, I never caught your last name!" Shiro said before extending his right hand to Taiga, shaking her prosthetic hand, then shaking Josiah's right hand firmly.

"Don't have one, don't worry!" Taiga responded, smiling charmingly at him, "May we come in, Kansuke?"

"Of course," Shiro responded, stepping out of the doorway to let the two inside, "You can just call me Shiro, I'm a casual guy."

"Where's the third guest?" Josiah asked curiously, stepping inside to see that the home had a warm atmosphere about it, the furniture being mostly leather, the walls painted a bright red, the ceiling a plain white and the floor had been made out of hardwood.

"She's in the bathroom," Shiro replied, shutting the door before running ahead of the two, "I'm going to go get everything, make yourselves at home!"

As he ran off into his home, Taiga slowly turned to Josiah, her left hand running along her fake right arm. "Did you see that?"

"Yeah," Josiah said, a touch of suspicion hiding in his voice, "He shook your hand, which means he could see your Stand.. unless your Stand has a secondary effect that makes it function as a normal arm."

"Nope, I can use it as an arm, but no one else can see it but Stand users," Taiga sighed as she answered him, "I guess this guy is a Stand user, then. It might just be a coincidence.. though, I have been told that Stand users attract one another."

"Yeah, I agree," Josiah murmured, "No matter what kind of people they are, I've noticed that I've been running into people with Stands in the past few weeks.. let's just hope he's a nice guy."

Almost as if it was on a cue, they could feel their surroundings shift around them. They watched as the walls began to shift away from them, and most of the furniture disappeared as stone walls replaced the drywall. The ceiling had pushed itself upward as well, a chandelier suddenly hanging from the ceiling.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Josiah shouted as Downplay suddenly slipped out of him, his fists clenched as his eyes scanned the room.

"Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing!" Taiga growled, jumping towards the door as her crimson red aura surrounded her, "What the hell?!"

As the next few moments passed, the house had stopped shifting, leaving the two of them standing in the main room, which had to be at least five times its original size.

"Welcome to my game!" Shiro's voice echoed over them as a figure phased into existence. It looked as if it was an old man wearing purple robes, and only his flowing white beard could be seen due to the hood over his head.

"Cut the shit, this is a Stand!" Josiah shouted, getting straight to the point as he stared toward the hooded figure.

"Odd, no one else could see Islander's true form," Shiro's voice continued to echo throughout the room, a chuckle following his comment, "I guess I got lucky, I got two Stand users with me! I might as well explain the rules!"

Taiga silently backed up against the wall, her prosthetic hand breaking off a piece of stone from the wall, her eyes focusing on the figure above them.

"Islander is a Stand I earned due to my love for tabletop gaming! Basically, you must traverse the five floors this reality marble holds and defeat the boss in order to escape! My Stand, Islander, can roll a twenty sided die with a set effect! Anything can happen, but I can't reuse it until I use up all twenty of the individual rolls! Since you're Stand users, you're much more durable than the average human, so you'll have to fight against monsters and beings that Islander summons!" Shiro explained, a low chuckle escaping his lungs as his excited voice rang out throughout the room.

Suddenly, Taiga threw two pieces of stone at the floating figure above them. One of the pieces barely grazed its left cheek, but the other piece hit it in the nose.

"Fuck you! From what I can gather, you've trapped other people here, too!" Taiga shouted, her crimson aura growing around her as she started to bare her teeth.

"What the.. ugh, fine, so what if I did? I had to test out Islander's powers somehow," He responded as malice slowly began to rise into his tone, "Good luck!"

The hooded figure suddenly disappeared, though a small object could be seen falling from where it had been floating.

As it hit the ground, it was easy to tell that it was the twenty sided die that Shiro had talked about; when it stopped moving, it had stopped on the number two.

"We're already getting to the action, huh?" Josiah sighed as he looked left to right, trying to find any sort of danger. Unexpectedly, he heard something 'click'.

Before he could detect where the sound had come from, he felt something incredibly sharp pierce his left leg.

Josiah stared down as he yelped in pain, noticing that the tip of a wooden arrow had been lodged inside his leg. "Fuck!"

His ears perked up as the click sound emitted from an unknown place once more, though this time, he could see that they were coming from holes in the left wall.

Downplay jumped forward and continuously punched and kicked the speeding arrows in two, even managing to catch a few in the oncoming barrage until it came to an end.

"Are you okay?!" Taiga shouted as she rushed forward, examining the wound to his leg. "It isn't in too deep, but I should be able to help. Are you okay with that?"

"Y-yeah, whatever works!" Josiah groaned as he sat on the castle floor, blood leaking out from his wound.

Taiga stuck her arm out and ripped a piece of carpet off from the floor. Her hand glowed red for a second, her Stand producing a second piece of it.

Slowly, she pulled the arrow out from Josiah's leg, allowing her to tie the two pieces of carpet around his leg tightly.

"Ugh.. thanks.." Josiah stood up, wincing slightly as he looked down at her. "I think our first plan is finding the third person he invited. We have to try and protect whoever it is before Shiro can hurt them!"

"Yeah, got it," Taiga said as she began to scan the room they were in, noticing that there were two paths they could take; there was a flight of stairs leading downward, and there was a hallway to the upper left of the room, "Well, there are two ways.. I think we should go downstairs first, so we don't miss anything."

"Let's head down, then." Josiah turned away and limped towards the stairway, his ally following as he trudged downward.

Dim light had been emitting from several torches which had been placed along the walls, allowing them to find their way. They found themselves in a small hallway, though there was only one wooden door.

"Feels like a dungeon down here," Josiah murmured before pushing the wooden door open, his other fist clenched in preparation, though he suddenly froze, "Wait.. what? What the hell?!"

The room was filled with empty suits of armor and dozens of weapons stacked and placed along the walls, though Josiah's eyes were focused on something else that was in the dead center of the room.

In the center of the room was a grown woman, who was standing at about five feet and seven inches tall. Her hair was bi-colored, the front of it being a light green and the back of it being dark blue. Her outfit was certainly odd, as it was an orange sweater with hearts carved into it, with a pair of dark blue jeans to match.

"Mom, what the hell are you doing here?!" Josiah shouted, stepping inside the room so Taiga could get a good look as well. "I.. I'm so confused!"

"I could ask you the same thing," Irene responded, turning to face her surprised son, "I was invited, and since this Shiro guy knew my full name, I was a little suspicious. I assume it was the same for you."

"Uh," Taiga muttered, "This is your mom, Josiah? That's such a weird coincidence that Shiro went after two people in the same family."

"Oh hello," Irene smiled warmly towards Taiga, "I'm Irene Joestar! I work for the Speedwagon Foundation, and I help in apprehending criminals, mostly Stand users. Are you one of Josiah's friends?"

"Well, we met just a few hours ago," Taiga responded with a shrug, "So if anything, we're acquaintances. It's nice to meet you, though!"

"Okay, can we stop being so casual and get back to the matter at hand?" Josiah interrupted, frustration washing over his face. "Mom, I have a few words for you, but we need to get out of here first."

"Fine," Irene commented as she stepped towards the doorway, though she couldn't help but notice something in the corner of her eye drop to the floor, "The hell is that?"

When she managed to get a good look at it, it had been a twenty sided die that landed on the number five. Before Josiah and Taiga could warn her, three empty suits of armor pried themselves from the wall, grabbing weapons from the walls.

"Goddamn it! Okay, so this Stand, Islander, is able to roll a twenty sided die! Each roll has a different effect, so we have to be on the look out!" Josiah shouted as Downplay rocketed out from his body, smashing its fist against a suit of armor, cracking its breastplate.

"Calm down Josiah, I can handle it." Irene calmly said as a strange figure suddenly jumped forward, both of its fists extended. "Stone Free!"

Stone Free was at least the same height as Irene, being a sky blue in coloration. On its head were four gray protrusions resembling blades that ran from the back of its neck to the top of its jaw. It was fairly slim, having cone-like ears on each side of its head. Aside from its chest and head, its entire body had strange studs jutting out from it. Its shoulders, in a way, resembled meteorites, as well as the center of its neck, its fingers, and its knees.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Stone Free cried as its heavy fists crashed into the suits of armor at a blinding speed, effectively shattering them and scattering the remains across the stone floor, clattering as they fell.

"Wow.." Taiga trailed off as she stepped back, impressed by the sheer power and speed that Irene's Stand had exhibited. "I guess we don't have much to worry about.."

"Guess not," Josiah commented, sighing as he stepped out of the room, "Come on, we need to beat the shit out of Shiro before he throws something at us that's actually dangerous."

Irene shrugged, then nodded. "Yeah, might as well! Also, Josiah.. you should stop focusing on being angry, I can feel it."

"Yeah, whatever."

[Five minutes pass…]

Eventually, the three of them managed to stay quiet and make their way to an empty hallway on the first floor. There was a single door on the left wall, and there was a stairway at the end of the hall.

"What do you think we should do, guys?" Taiga asked, her eyes shifting from the door to the stairway, "We could always hurry up, or we could look around.. I wouldn't mind running ahead."

"Yeah, let's keep going," Josiah replied as he stepped towards the flight of stairs, "I don't want him to trap us, or hell, he might have an ability that makes the walls close in."

"Good point!" Irene agreed before rushing ahead, her shoes tapping against the stone floor, her Stand floating beside her as she ran.

Before she could continue on, her entire body slapped against an invisible surface, causing her to fall onto the floor. "Ouch! What the hell?!"

"Ugh, that's annoying," Taiga sighed, irritated as her prosthetic hand repeatedly bashed itself against the invisible wall, though to no avail, "Shit, this thing is durable!"

"Oh please," Josiah interjected, smirking as he stared up at the ceiling, "All we have to do is punch a hole in the ceiling. Mom, is there a way we can get up there?"

"Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard!" Irene responded as Stone Free rocketed forward, smashing its fists against the ceiling, quickly and easily creating a gaping hole as stone fell to the floor. "There we go.. now, give me a moment."

Irene held her arm up and it seemed as if it was unraveling into dozens of feet of string, the tip of it shooting up to the next floor. The two could only stare in bewilderment as she did this, despite the nonchalant look on her face.

"Climb on! Stone Free lets me unravel most of my body into string, and it's painless, so don't worry!" Irene informed them after seeing the look of pure shock on their faces, though that statement didn't seem to comfort them too much.

"Uh.. this is kind of weird, but, okay." Josiah murmured before grabbing onto the string, pulling himself up slowly, though he managed to eventually make it to the second floor.

Taiga followed suit, though she made her trip much faster than Josiah's. She hurriedly climbed up to the second floor, put off by the fact that this was something ordinary to Irene, despite how calm she seemed.

Irene smirked before flying upwards, landing on the second floor and retracting her string back to her body within the matter of a few seconds.

The second floor wasn't much different from the previous floor. It had the same stone walls and red carpet, and it seemed they were just in a slightly larger hallway this time around; the only difference being that there were about four doors along the left wall.

"This castle is really strange," Taiga said as she twisted one of the doorknobs, "It's not as wide as I thought it'd be, but it has a lot of rooms.. then again, I guess we can just question Shiro about it if we want."

"We'll save that for later." Josiah replied as he looked into the room, and it was probably the largest room he had seen thus far. It was a dining room with at least five tables that were set up, silverware and all.

The three of them stepped inside, noticing that there were two cabinets filled with silverware and plates. Otherwise, the room seemed to be completely empty, devoid of any threat which only made them feel uneasy.

"I didn't see a stairway in the hall, so it's probably behind one of these cabinets." Irene said, Stone Free floating beside her as she stepped forward.

When she took a closer look inside the cabinet, she was able to see the die from earlier slowly materialize inside of it. Before it had a chance to fall, she quickly smashed Stone Free's fist against the furniture, completely destroying it.

"What.. the hell?!" Shiro's voice rang throughout the room, though it seemed to be filled with resentment and intense pain. "Goddamn it.."

"Ha!" Irene laughed, putting a hand on her hip. "So, the twenty sided die is an integral part of your Stand! I'll just shatter it!"

"You're wrong," Shiro grunted, "At least to a point. It may be vital to me, but it can't be broken! So guess what that means!"

"Goddamn it!" Josiah growled, clearly irritated as the twenty sided die rolled onto the floor among the debris, landing on the number seven.

Suddenly, a whirlwind circled the three of them, but stopped before they could react appropriately. When they were able to get a better look, they had noticed that there were seven figures cloaked in black surrounding them.

"Have fun!" Shiro giggled, the seven of the cloaked figures circling them, each of them holding a sharp knife in their hands.

"Both of you, get behind me!" Irene demanded, her irritated frown slowly turning into a confident smirk, "I have a damn good plan."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Irene Joestar  
Age: 40  
Stand: Stone Free  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - A  
Range - C  
Precision - A  
Durability - A  
Development Potential - C


	9. This Is A Game Of Chance, JoJo! (2)

_**This Is A Game Of Chance, JoJo! Part 2!**_

January 6th, 3:00 PM.

Josiah, Irene, and Taiga stood back to back as the seven cloaked figures surrounded them, each of them holding a sharp blade in their left hands. Their Stands stood by them, each of them trying to find a vantage point.

Before any of them could charge ahead, one of the cloaked figures suddenly jumped towards Taiga, motioning to plunge his blade into her skull; though, that would have worked if she wasn't fast. Quickly, she grabbed his arm and planted her foot against his gut, launching him towards the wall as she snatched his knife.

"Copy and paste!" Taiga's right arm had begun to glow for a split second before a second knife had formed in her hand.

Two of the cloaked figures lunged at Taiga as their comrade suddenly slammed through the stone, their blood hungry blades drawn; though they barely made it as far as their friend did, as the two knives implanted themselves into their chests once Taiga threw them.

"What an interesting ability!" Irene commented before dashing to one of the hooded men, her fist pressing against the side of his head, followed by a kick to the abdomen. "Is it me or is this just too easy?"

Josiah smirked and followed his mother's lead, his Stand throwing itself at three of the men, bashing the front of its left foot against their heads at an incredible speed, effectively rendering them unable to fight.

"Yeah, I think it might have to do something with the number his die rolls," Taiga remarked, putting a hand on her chin, "He's been rolling low numbers, so it probably increases in power when he rolls something above a ten."

"Makes sense," Josiah sighed before turning to his mother, "So, really, what are you doing here? I'm reckless enough to come here out of suspicion, but you're important to that Speedwagon Foundation you told me about earlier. We should discuss this before we move on."

Irene shook her head, walking towards the cabinet that she had destroyed earlier. "There's been a strange phenomenon going on in Osaka. Electronics are acting up, I've even gotten into a few Stand battles where my opponent died despite not having any serious injuries; I came here because this man knew my last name, and he certainly knows you. It may or may not be connected, but isn't it suspicious that someone knows our last names? I'm sure we've put them on the internet somewhere, but how would someone know to search for us?"

"Yeah, that's what's odd," Josiah replied, slipping his hands into his pockets as he followed Irene, "But, I experienced one of those. I fought a Stand user who died even without sustaining fatal injuries; did your opponents have these weird screws in their heads?"

"They did! All we can figure out is that these people are being controlled and that the Stand behind it is related to electronics. Do you have an idea of who it might be?" Irene asked, crossing her arms.

"I don't know who, but, after me and my friends beat this man named Daichi, his phone rang, and some.. genderless voice spoke to us, and told us all our names. It said it was gonna keep an eye on us." Josiah answered, watching as his Stand moved out from his body once more to move the cabinet.

"We should focus on this after we get out," Taiga said as the cabinet eased over to the side, revealing a dark passage with a flight of stairs, which led upstairs, "He could try to attack us at any moment."

"Fine, fine. You're right." Josiah slipped into the passage, his fists clenched as he walked ahead of the two, easily seeing that there was a wooden door at the very top of the staircase, though he stopped in front of it.

"I think we're getting closer to him," Irene said as she crossed her arms, "Let's not let our guard down, yet, just because it's been easier than we expected. He might be trying to lure us into a false sense of security."

"Mhm." Josiah nodded before twisting the doorknob, the light from the next room shining on his face as he stepped out from the darkness, his mother and Taiga following closely.

The first thing they noticed about the room was that it was circular in shape, though other than that it was the exact same as the first floor; if you discarded the fact that the figure in purple robes was floating in the air.

"Are you stupid to bring your Stand out again, Shiro?" Taiga asked dryly, staring up at it as her crimson aura returned to her body, "I'll break it in half if you aren't careful!"

"Ha," Shiro spat out, "You caught me off guard the first time because I didn't know what your Stand was. Now I know that you're fairly fast, strong, and precise, but your range isn't so good, as your Stand seems to be bound to your right arm. Islander may not be physically strong, but it's just as fast as you if not faster."

"So why bring it out now?" Josiah questioned, staring up at it as his sky blue aura came to him as well, "You plan on rolling again, just for us to beat the next challenge yet again?"

"Oh please," Shiro chuckled, though it seemed as if he brushed off what Josiah had told him, "The only reason I brought it out is because I'm confident I can kill you all in one fell swoop."

The trio watched as a twenty sided die fell from Islander's hands, noticing it roll along the floor before it landed on the number sixteen.

Suddenly, a large barrier jutted out all across the room, completely preventing them from leaving and progressing; though, that wasn't all, as a large, muscular figure formed in the center of the room.

As Islander faded, it was easy to tell that the man in front of them was about to charge. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, and he had to have been taller than Josiah. His muscles were bulging and he didn't wear a shirt, only a pair of brown rags on his lower half; he had also been foaming at the mouth.

"Shit," Josiah murmured, sweat dripping down the side of his head, "He rolled a pretty high number, so he's probably very confident.. I think all we need to do is avoid his hits. It shouldn't be too hard..."

"Way ahead of you!" Taiga suddenly darted forward, her right fist clenched before she implanted it in the large man's gut, though it seemed as if he was barely fazed.

Before Taiga could jump back, the muscular man's fist met with her mouth, effectively pushing her back with ease. She stared up at him, completely shocked as she wiped a small amount of blood from her lower lip.

He let out a primal roar before running towards her, lunging in midair; though, he was stopped as Josiah got in his way, his Stand planting its fists on his body dozens of times, which managed to push him back four feet.

"It's my turn now!" Irene declared before dashing ahead, Stone Free swinging its legs at the berserker blindingly fast. Stone Free's legs implanted themselves in the man's face, the sheer impact shoving him onto the cold stone ground.

As Irene backed away, she watched as the man pulled himself back up once more, despite the blood streaming down his face.

With a roar, he charged at Irene like a wild animal, though she smirked as confidence practically oozed out of her. Stone Free's fist met with his mouth, though it wasn't over there; rapid punches sank into almost every bit of the berserker's brawny body.

With a final punch, he flew across the room and into the barrier, creating a fairly large hole as his body crashed into the wall just a few feet away from the newly made exit.

"Wow." Josiah said, completely in awe as he looked down at Taiga, "Are you okay? He landed a pretty hard hit on you."

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine," Taiga answered, stepping over to the gaping hole made by the berserker's body, "So much for his confidence, huh? Come on, there probably isn't much before we make it."

She stepped through the barrier as her two companions followed. They turned a corner or two before coming across a staircase, and even though it led up, it seemed abnormally long.

"He's trying to make us nervous," Irene commented as she walked onto the staircase with a sigh, "What poor scare tactics. I hope he has some information, or at least strong, or this will have been a waste of everyone's time."

"Honestly? I don't care as long as I can get out of here as soon as possible." Josiah replied, wiping sweat from his brow before stepping behind his mother, with Taiga following behind.

When they finally made it to the top of the staircase, they took a moment to gather themselves despite the uneasiness flowing around them.

"Alright, there's no time to waste." Taiga mumbled to her friends before opening the door, preparing to launch forward; though it didn't seem that such a thing was needed.

The final room was much smaller than the others. It had to have only been fifty feet across with stone walls lining it, and it was a straight rectangle. At the very end of the room was a golden throne with red cloth covering the front of it, and the man sitting on it was none other than Shiro.

"That was fast! I didn't expect you to beat the berserker!" Shiro stood from his throne, clapping his hands together as he walked forward, "So, what do you hope to gain from fighting me?"

"That's a dumb question," Josiah shook his head before pointing at him, "What did you hope to gain from luring us here? We all came because we were curious, so what were you hoping for, asshole?"

"I just like to play games," Shiro said as his eyes shifted from left to right, "Call me twisted, but being a dungeon master is my greatest joy in life; watching people play through my creation is a high that I can't get anywhere else."

"You're fucking crazy!" Irene shouted before walking forward, cracking her knuckles all the while, "We have questions and you'll damn well answer them if you know what's good for you."

"Oh? Are you sure about that?" Shiro smirked as he shook his left hand slightly, then suddenly tossed out the all too familiar twenty sided die.

The three of them watched as it rolled onto the throne room floor, and much to their horror, it was a full blown twenty.

"Oh? I haven't used this in a while!" Shiro smirked as a vortex of fire formed in the center of the throne room. A large shadow formed inside of it, standing at about fifteen feet tall. When the fire dissipated, it was revealed to be a monstrous dragon. It had red scales, red hot fire billowing from its nostrils, and enormous wings.

"What the fuck?! How are we supposed to fight that?!" Taiga shouted as she backed up slightly, punching off a portion of the stone from the wall, "That thing is way too big for us to even handle.."

A monstrous bellow fell from the dragon's lungs as it suddenly swiped its tail across the room, attempting to knock the three over, but to no avail.

Each of them managed to jump across the tail, giving Taiga time to copy the stone and toss it at the monster's snout, only for a short burst of fire to completely incinerate the material.

The dragon swung a claw at Josiah, only for Downplay to come out and attempt to block it. As if on cue, Downplay's index finger flew from its left hand and landed on the throne room, which made Josiah smirk a little.

 _I just have to make sure to appear that I died.. then I can sneak up from behind. I set it to put me in the condition I was a minute before this fight began, so I should be fine as long as I activate it on time._ Josiah thought to himself as he crossed his arms, backing up against the wall.

"Stone Free, meteor shower!" Irene cried as Stone Free put its palms together, allowing dozens of small meteors to form and fly out from its palms, each of them smacking right into the mighty beast's abdomen.

The red scaled dragon roared in frustration before lowering its maw to the floor; which allowed a torrent of flames to emit from its enormous body.

 _Now!_ Josiah charged towards his mother and shoved her out of the way, smirking as the fire appeared to completely envelope him, leaving a look of shock and horror on Irene's face as he seemed to totally disappear as it hit him.

"Ha! Sacrificing himself for his mother, huh? It's noble, but a meaningless death." Shiro grinned widely, crossing his arms as the beast propped its head back up, the flames growing faint just to show there was nothing there.

Behind Shiro was Josiah, crossing his arms as Downplay picked up its index finger and twisted it back to its rightful place on its hand. He casually walked towards him, sighing quietly before tapping his shoulder.

"Hey," Josiah said, watching as his enemy slowly but surely turned to face him, his entire frame nearly frozen in fear, "You don't taunt my mom like that."

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Downplay's battle cry echoed out before Shiro could get a single sound out from his dropped jaw, the Stand's fists pummeling him as muffled screams of pain emitted from Shiro's mouth.

"You are the most sorry sack of shit I've ever seen in my life!" Josiah screamed, his fists continuously slamming into Shiro again and again, his eyes taking note of the blood flying out from his enemy's nostrils and mouth.

It seemed like the longest few seconds in his life to Shiro, but he could barely even think as this man's Stand continued to embed its metallic fists into his body, until finally launching him towards the entrance to the throne room.

"There," Josiah sighed, scratching the back of his head, "I think I got the hang of this reset ability; you see, no matter how threatening you were, you weren't going to be able to catch me off guard. My Stand is able to set me in a certain spot where its index finger lands, and I can also return to the previous state I was in from a minute before. I could have went back to the stairs, but that would be a cowardly move."

"You.. ah.." Shiro sighed before falling unconscious, though his body did not fall limp as Josiah and Irene had expected.

Within mere moments, the structure of the castle began to fade, leaving the three of them standing in the man's living room once more, much to their joy.

"So glad that's over," Taiga smirked, patting Josiah on the back before looking down at Shiro's broken body, "Good job, Josiah! Also, uh.. so what do you plan to do with him, Irene?"

"I'm going to take him to the Speedwagon Foundation for questioning," Irene answered as she pulled the beaten man over his shoulder, "It's better than waiting here for hours. I'll be sure to update you two on what I learn, if anything.. also, Josiah, you have my number. Call me if you need anything."

"I will," Josiah nodded before putting a hand on his hip, "Let's head back to my place, Taiga. I'll get us both something to eat after the bullshit he just put us through."

"Sounds good to me!" Taiga agreed before patting her friend on the back, rushing out the door before he could even catch up, "Come on, let's go!"

"Right," Josiah said before smirking, following as he looked to his mother, "We're going to talk about a few other things, but.. thank you, mom."

"Yeah, no problem."

[At Josiah's apartment…]

3:45 PM.

"So, Terunosuke, who's this Josiah Joestar you keep bringing up?" A grizzly, muffled voice spoke over the phone as Shinnosuke held it to his ear, a wide smile on his face.

"He's a really good friend of mine! He's helped me a lot with inspiration and makes sure I eat properly, because, well, I get carried away sometimes!" Shinnosuke said ecstatically, almost jumping off from the sofa.

"Ha, nice to hear, son! Say, when do you think you'll be able to visit us?" The man, clearly Shinnosuke's dad, asked him with a tinge of curiosity in his tone.

"I'll try to after I finish some more concept art for a new idea I have for a project of mine," Shinnosuke responded, crossing one leg over the other, "I have to go soon to check up on Josiah, but I'll try to keep my promise!"

"Alright, alright! Talk to you soon!" The man on the phone had hung up as Shinnosuke pocketed his cell phone, his hand reaching for his sketchbook.

"Man, you're in a really good mood lately!" Warut sat next to him, crossing his legs as well while he smiled warmly, "I guess Josiah has that effect on people! Besides, I think it's pretty good that you're workin' again!"

"Oh, really? Thank you, Warut!" Shinnosuke nodded happily as he heard a knock at the door, "Oh, I'm coming!"

Shinnosuke hopped up from his seat before opening the door, revealing Josiah and Taiga standing side by side, both of them panting heavily.

"Huh? Oh, you're home! I was getting worried! But, uh, who's she?" Shinnosuke asked as he stared over at her, raising an eyebrow quizzically before standing aside, allowing them entry.

"Oh, she's a friend and a fellow Stand user," Josiah informed him, gesturing to her with a friendly smile, "Everyone, meet Taiga!"

"It's nice to meet all of you.." Taiga trailed off as her eyes looked over at Warut, who had a look of confusion and anger plastered onto his face, "Oh, uh.. hi?"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

[Elsewhere…]

A suitcase dangled from a bony hand, the contents of it shaking about as the man holding it walked throughout the streets of Osaka. His hair was semi-long and black, having small gray streaks running through it. His cheekbones were rather high, and his white dress shirt was wrinkled and spread out over his black dress pants, which led down to his black leather shoes.

He adjusted his glasses as he sighed, looking among a seemingly endless sea of people, his eyes focusing on a few people in particular.

"Ah.. how fun. A new playground."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Shiro Kansuke  
Age: 28  
Stand: Islander  
Stand Statistics  
Power - C  
Speed – C  
Durability – B  
Range – A  
Precision – E  
Development Potential – A


	10. Minute Man To The Rescue!

_**Minute Man To The Rescue!**_

January 14th, 6:00 PM

Josiah's ears perked up as he heard someone rapidly knocking at his front door, prompting him to put down his cellphone to go and answer it. "Coming, coming! Why would you even come out here, there's a blizzard going on outside!"

As the door creaked open, he couldn't help but sigh when he saw it was his mother, Irene. "I'm here to talk about the interrogation with Shiro, do you have time to sit and listen to me?"

"Uh, sure. Want a cup of coffee?" Josiah asked as he walked towards his kitchen, only to see that she shook her head, "Well, I'll make some for myself, then."

"I learned more than I expected to," Irene said as she sank into her son's sofa, "While he was knocked out, I noticed he had some strange screws in his head.. I had Stone Free pluck them out and then I had some of our doctors perform surgery so he wouldn't bleed out."

"Screws? You mean the screws those Stand users had when they would attack us?" Josiah asked as he walked back into the main room, putting the ridge of the coffee cup up to his mouth, sitting on the left arm of the sofa.

"Yeah," Irene nodded, "We managed to question him after he woke up around two days later. He didn't fight back, so we got some valuable information if it's true, aside from a mishap."

"Mishap?" Josiah asked curiously before slipping down into his sofa, taking a sip from his coffee cup, "What do you mean?"

"In the middle of questioning, all the electronics in the room started to freak out," Irene began, putting a hand on her chin, "And a voice that seemed genderless, which you told me about, started to talk with us."

"Wait, what? Tell me more!" Josiah's eyes went wide as he scooted closer to his mother, his coffee cup shaking erratically.

[Five days ago…]

Irene crossed one leg over the other as she took a seat in her leather chair, her thumbs pressed together as she leaned over the table slightly. "So, Shiro Kansuke, tell me everything. First of all, how did you find out about Josiah's last name?"

"I was told that they were found online after extensive searching," Shiro replied with barely any life inside his voice, his head hung low before looking straight at his captor, "All I did was send out the invites."

"And who told you?" Irene asked, resting her chin on her hand. She tapped her fingers along the opened laptop in front of her, as it was brought up on what seemed to be a social media account belonging to Shiro.

"His name," Shiro's voice shook for a moment, his hands suddenly gripping at the arm opposite of them, "Himuro, I think? I think.. I only remember that, darkness.. and that voice. It's stuck in my head..."

"Himuro? Does the name Firestart ring any bells?" Irene asked as her eyes looked down towards her laptop; but something was odd, she was sure her operating system was Windows, not Linux.

"Himuro.. Firestart." Shiro murmured, attempting to jump back; though it was too bad for him, as his hands were handcuffed to the leg of the table he had been sitting at.

"Eh?" Irene sat up, confused; though she soon became utterly bewildered as the screen of her laptop turned to total darkness.

Out from the darkness came a few electrical sparks, followed by a strange figure floating out of it. It had to have been taller than Irene, as it towered above her without revealing its entire body; it appeared to wear a space suit with dozens of stars painted across it, though in the helmet was a black skull with bright lights shining out from the eye sockets.

"Oh, hello! I'm sure you didn't expect to see me here, Irene Joestar!" The black skull's mouth didn't even move as it spoke, the voice completely jarring Irene as she stepped back, clenching her fists.

"The hell.. so you must be the one behind all of this, am I right? This proves my theory that he or she has a Stand that can somehow cause widespread panic through electronics!" Irene declared, her own Stand standing by her.

"You are correct," It said, raising one of its gloved fists, "But it doesn't matter, does it? You know my name, so you have done enough. I've heard of your past battles, so I won't waste any time on you."

"So that's your name? Doesn't sound too human, besides, this is just you talking through your Stand!" Irene smirked, quickly ducking out of the way as the hulking Stand jutted a bolt of electricity towards her.

"I'm not dying today!" Irene yelled confidently, Stone Free's knuckles cracking the laptop into pieces within mere moments, forcing the Stand to dissipate.

[Back in the present…]

"So you saw what his Stand looked like? Himuro Firestart.. yeah, that definitely isn't a name any human would have.." Josiah nearly wandered off as he stared up at his ceiling, giving off an irritated sigh. "Fuck, if only we knew where he was!"

"He killed a lot of hardworking men and women that day," Irene shook with anger, her teeth grinding against one another, "But.. I have two theories. One, Himuro Firestart is either a codename or, somehow, he's a computer that has a Stand."

"A computer with a Stand? But that's impossible! Stands are the manifestation of your soul, and well, we all know computers don't have those!" Josiah argued, baffled that she would come up with such a theory.

"Yeah, I think it's insane too," Irene nodded in agreement, though smirked slightly, "But, we have a Stand user coming to Osaka who can try and find him by hacking into Himuro's system, as his Stand works through electronics."

"That's the best shot we really have," Josiah said as he jumped off from his sofa, quickly picking up his cellphone, "I'm gonna call Warut and tell him everything, I'll hope that my call will get through this blizzard."

[At Dororesu's Apartment…]

Dororesu tossed her water bottle into the air, her eyes focusing on it as a sharp spike suddenly jutted out from it, tearing the bottle in two before she grabbed the spike.

"Wow," Warut leaned against the wall, looking through the dim light to see the liquified spike, "That's pretty useful in a fight, I bet! Is that all you can do?"

"Nope! I can make spikes out of fire too, but I don't have an example; they aren't very durable unless the content is thick, which is kinda lame." Dororesu shrugged, running her hand along the drywall as she stepped towards her father, the liquid spike dissipating in her hand.

"Oh, I see." Warut responded, sighing as he looked around the beaten down apartment, "Are you sure you're fine with staying here?"

"I don't got much of a choice," Dororesu answered almost immediately, "You're an escaped convict, so I can't risk living with you, as cold as that probably seems.. besides isn't it dangerous for you to go out and about in public in the first place?"

"No one's stopped me yet!" Warut argued playfully, smiling warmly towards his daughter, "I don't plan on being arrested, not until I've fulfilled my debt to Josiah for helping me! Even then, I don't think I'd like prison, even though I do deserve it."

"Don't lie to yourself," Dororesu gave him a look of pity, resting a hand on her right hip, "You don't deserve it, you've proved it already. Besides, isn't Josiah pretty dull?"

"I mean…" Warut intended to reply, though he was interrupted by his cell phone vibrating his pocket, quickly answering it. "Hey, this is Mizushima! Who is this?"

"I'm glad I could finally get a hold of you; I have some important news," Josiah said, his voice shaken somewhat, "My mother found out that the name of the guy that called us is Himuro Firestart. All we know is his name and what his Stand looks like, he also uses electronics to get around the city. I'm guessing his Stand's range is insane."

"Himuro Firestart? That's a freakin' weird name," Warut spoke, moving to walk into his daughter's messy kitchen, "So how are we supposed to find him if he could be anywhere?"

"Mom's calling in a Stand user that can try to locate him through a computer," Josiah said with an irritated sigh, "I guess we have to fight fire with fire.. speaking of his name, she also thinks Himuro could be a computer, but I'm pretty sure that it's impossible."

"Yeah, I doubt it.. probably just a guy with a weird name. Anyway, was that all? I can still talk if ya want," Warut said, shivering slightly as the cold air clung to his skin, "How's everyone been?"

"They're fine," Josiah answered, his voice brightening up, "I haven't seen Sophia in a few days, so I'm kinda worried, but I'm sure she can handle herself. How's Dororesu been?"

"She's doing pretty good," Warut said, smiling brightly as he roamed around the kitchen, "She's here right now, but we're fine here. Uh.. let me know if you need me, alright? If Himuro shows up again, I'll run over to help."

"Noted, Warut! Thanks a lot, buddy, talk to ya later." Josiah said warmly, hanging up after a few more seconds, prompting Warut to slide his cell phone back into his pocket.

"Y'know, even if he is a little dull, he's still a really nice guy." Warut told his daughter, chuckling as he sank into her sofa, his eyes lazily looking up at her.

"Hm, guess you're right," Dororesu smirked, briefly yawning before heading towards her front door, "I'm gonna go get some food, you better not leave!"

"Will do."

[At Shinnosuke's Office…]

Shinnosuke groaned, setting his pencil next to his sketchbook which he began to close. "Augh, my hand hurts. I guess that's what I get for trying to draw so much in a day."

Sliding out from his chair, Shinnosuke took his sketchbook and set it underneath his bed for safekeeping. "I really can't help it! I've been really motivated to work and I can't stop! But I gotta conserve that, so I don't burn out."

Shinnosuke rolled onto his bed, stretching out as he sighed, his eyes staring up at his ceiling fan; though, before he could do much else, his cell phone started to ring.

He rummaged in his pockets for a moment before pulling it out, answering it and then pressing it against his ear. "Hello, uh, is this Shinnosuke?"

Shinnosuke easily recognized the voice as Sophia's. "Oh? Hi there! Yeah, it's me, what do you need Sophia? I'm surprised you got a hold of me, mainly because of the blizzard going on outside."

"Mhm! But, uh.. I couldn't reach Josiah, so I was wondering if you could ask him something for me, if that's okay?" Sophia asked hesitantly.

"Uh, sure, what would that be?" Shinnosuke asked, admittedly incredibly curious as to what would make her sound so nervous.

"Can you ask him why he hasn't been showing up to work? I understand if it's something important, but.. everyone's worried about him, and I just wanna know if he's okay." Sophia said sincerely with a hint of wonder in her voice.

"He hasn't been showing up to work?" Shinnosuke said aloud, putting a finger on his chin as he began to ponder. "I wonder what it could be.. I haven't seen him in a few days, but I'll be sure to tell him, Sophia."

"Alright, thank you!" Before Shinnosuke could say another word, she had hung up on him rather quickly. This was odd to him, as Sophia never seemed to come off as the nervous type of person.

"Huh," Shinnosuke shrugged before placing his cellphone on the table next to him, his eyes slowly shutting, "I'll tell him tomorrow.."

[Back at Josiah's apartment…]

"Well, it's been fun and all, but I'm gonna go head out!" Taiga declared, making her way towards Josiah's front door, though he immediately stood up from his sofa.

"You're not going anywhere! You told me yourself, you don't have a place to live or sleep! So until we find something like that, you're staying with me!" Josiah protested, marching towards the door to block her off from it.

"Come on, I'll be fine! I have been for years!" She argued, though her host didn't show a sign of giving in, as he only shook his head in defiance. "Fine, whatever! Have fun sleeping through my snoring for another week!"

"Will do!" Josiah stuck his tongue out at her as if he were a child, giggling as he went to look out the window, "Man, I hope this passes soon..."

[The next day, At Sophia's home…]

January 15th, 12:00 PM

Sophia awoke to the sound of rapid knocking on her door, her eyes bloodshot as she weakly pulled herself out of her bed, still completely dressed in her work clothes.

The knocking never ceased, despite how long it took her to wobble over to her door, slowly opening it as her hand ran through her messy black locks. "Who is it?" She asked lazily.

It took her eyes a minute to adjust to this strange sight, as it was a bit odd. A man standing at five feet and eleven inches was standing at her doorway, wearing a silver costume that covered all but his eyes, nose, and mouth. A black beard was visible, connecting with his bushy mustache. His eyes were a bright green, and on his chest was a golden, uppercase M.

"Uh.. um.. who are you?" Sophia asked, stepping away a bit as the man only grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

"Hello! I am Osaka's crime fighter, Minute Man! I fight evil of all kinds with my ability, Sixty Minute Man!" He cried out, pointing his index finger towards the sky as he spread his legs out, a triumphant smile plastered on his face.

"R-right.. so what are you doing here?" Sophia questioned, yawning briefly as she looked up at him with a bit of an annoyed look, her eyes staring down at her feet, "And can you please tell me your real name?"

"First things first, I am Gustavo Alcide! You are Sophia Milena, correct? I came to see you because of all the wonderful things I've seen you do, with that uh, knight thing that follows you and makes portals..." Gustavo trailed off awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck in embarassment.

"Wait, you can see Saint Peter? Then that means your ability Sixty Minute Man is a Stand, right?" Sophia stepped out from the doorway, allowing Gustavo entry. "But, uh.. I mean, yeah, I've done a few nice things…"

"You've been helping children most of the time! You liked to try and run their bullies off, which is admirable! But, I am here because I need your help!" Gustavo claimed, shutting the door behind him as he shivered slightly.

"You need my help? With what?" Sophia tilted her head curiously, crossing her arms as she walked around her living room.

Gustavo twirled around twice before pointing at her. "There is a man in the slums stealing food from poor families! His name is Ryouta, and I'm sure he has a Stand just like us! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Stealing?" Sophia blinked, yawning loudly before speaking up once more, "Well, I don't have any reason to not believe you, but.. I'm curious about two things. Why do you need _my_ help and what does your Stand do? That might help me trust you a little more if you tell me!"

"I see, I see," Gustavo nodded, shrugging as he smiled brightly, "Well, I want your help because you are one of the most kind souls I have seen! No one else cares about helping each other! Secondly, Sixty Minute Man allows me to do anything twice in one minute! It might sound useless, but it's really useful at the right time!"

"Ah..." Sophia murmured before turning her back to him, "Alright, I'm coming! Just give me a few minutes to get ready!"

Gustavo bowed. "Thank you so much!"

[Ten minutes later...]

Sophia had slipped into a white jacket and a gray sweater, her lower half covered by a thick pair of fleece-lined leggings; on top of that, her hair had been brushed neatly, which could be seen as she danced back into her living room.

"Alright, I'm good to go!" Sophia smiled confidently, walking towards the front door with Gustavo following behind, "Just lead the way and I'll follow!"

"Will do, ma'am!" Gustavo saluted her for a moment before opening the door, running straight into the outside world.

[Fifteen minutes pass…]

It didn't take the two of them too long to reach the slums of Osaka. Vines were growing inside the cracks of homes and abandoned shops, their windows shattered. The rotten stench of smog and cigarettes ashes filled their nostrils, nearly causing Sophia to choke up.

"Ugh.. so where are we supposed to go to find this Ryouta guy, Gustavo? Do you think he'd stick around for long?" Sophia asked nasally, pinching her nose shut as she looked from left to right.

"Of course I do, the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime!" Gustavo stopped for a moment, extending his arm in front of his partner. "I will use Sixty Minute Man's precise smelling to try and find out where he is!"

Out from Gustavo came a being that was at least a foot taller than he was. It had no facial features, though it seemed to be rather muscular; Sixty Minute Man was predominantly white in color, having small bits of gray easing up on its sides. Lastly, it had a clock on its abdomen with each of the hands pointing at the number two.

Sixty Minute Man began to cling to the ground, the sound of a deep inhale coming from where would be a nose. After a few moments, it stood up and pointed to an abandoned grocery store several feet ahead of them.

"Wait.. how can your Stand smell if it doesn't have a nose? That's kinda weird." Sophia shrugged, walking side by side with Gustavo as Sixty Minute Man returned to him.

"I really don't know," Gustavo said calmly, "Before I decided to use my powers to help people, I just used it for normal chores; like getting milk. I don't know everything about it yet, but it's there."

"Huh.. well, let's go find this guy then!" Sophia stepped forward a bit more quickly than Gustavo, her Stand appearing next to her as she came closer to the front door of the shop.

As Sophia opened the door, a whole new stench flooded her nostrils; it was rotten food this time around. Nearly gagging, she pulled a bit of her shirt over her nose as she looked left and then right in an attempt to spot him.

"He's here," Gustavo gagged, "I think if he's desperate enough he'll either be on the roof or in the back. You.. ugh.. you should take the roof! I can handle this awful smell."

"Thank you!" Sophia nearly ran off to find stairs within a moment, leaving Gustavo in her dust as he sighed heavily.

"The things I do for justice…"

[Two minutes pass…]

Sophia ran up several flights of stairs, the horrible smell of the rotting food drifting away as she got closer and closer to the roof. With Saint Peter ready, she slammed the door to the outside open, revealing the top of the building, which gave her a view of the rest of the buildings.

In the middle of the roof was a middle aged man, looking right up at Sophia. He had short, messy brown hair, and wore a blue t-shirt that had a tear on the side matched with a pair of dirty, black gym shorts.

"What are you doing here?" He asked weakly, his gaze somewhat shaky. Sophia was almost sure she could see his ribs on the side where his shirt had been torn. "Are you a cop?"

"No," Sophia stepped forward, her Stand retreating, "I was told someone had been stealing food, but… you seem like you've needed it."

"What an understatement," Ryouta scoffed, standing up as he dusted his shorts off, "I barely eat as it is. I can't hold a job, either.. so what do you want? Are you going to beat me up and try to get me to apologize?"

"I'm not going to fight you," Sophia stated, no hesitation in her polite tone whatsoever, "But, I do want you to apologize. I can share some food with you if you come back with me, and maybe the other families here will share with you if you just ask."

Ryouta smiled a bit sadly, sighing before chuckling lowly. "You're still a kid.. so kind and so simple minded. Alright, if nothing else, I'll try that."

"Thank you!" Sophia smiled brightly and widely, turning around as she heard a set of footsteps coming up the stairwell. "Is that you, Gustavo?"

There was no response except for a low giggle. A shadow made itself known, standing to be about five feet and nine inches tall. As it became visible, it was obvious that it was very feminine; her short black hair bounced on her neck as she swayed from left to right, a nurse's mask tied around her mouth. She had also been wearing a white button up blouse that went with a black pair of jeans.

"Ah, it's been so long," Akiko hummed, cracking her knuckles before taking a pair of bloodstained scissors out from her pocket, "Mm.. so, are you two next? You don't want to keep me waiting, do you?"

"Wait..." Sophia murmured, her eyes widening in horror as she backed up towards Ryouta, "You were on the news.. Akiko Mikami! Why are you here?!"

"Had to find a place to find a few fresh kills," Akiko hissed, licking her lips as she continued to walk forward, "It's been a bit too easy, so I hope you two will provide me with some excitement."

Before Sophia could respond appropriately, she gasped as a fleshy crimson figure slipped out from Akiko's body. As she reacted to this, Akiko grinned, showing her teeth as she stopped in her tracks, her Stand wielding two pairs of scissors as well.

"So, you can see The Plot In You? That makes this a bit more exciting.. now, bring out your Stands!" Akiko chuckled, laughing louder and louder as Ryouta suddenly pushed Sophia out of the way, scowling.

"That fresh blood.. I may be a petty thief, but you're nothing but a gutless killer! I'll make you pay!" Ryouta shouted as a small, four foot tall figure shot out of him, being primarily hot pink in color with dark green eyes.

Akiko grinned as the small figure fired what seemed to be a thin string at her, though she ducked out of the way, allowing her Stand to cut the string in half nonchalantly; however, as she went to dash towards the Stand, it suddenly broke into thousands of tiny pieces.

"Eh?" Akiko turned around to see that the Stand had formed behind her, which then proceeded to give her a firm punch in the mouth.

Before the Stand could break up into tiny pieces again, The Plot In You's fists buried themselves into its abdomen, sending it skidding across the rooftop. Ryouta vomited blood as it stopped, groaning as he stared up at Akiko.

"You're too slow," Akiko's lips curved into a smile, her Stand picking up Ryouta by his neck, "And now you're dead."

"No!" Sophia screamed, forming a portal on the ground beneath her and one on Akiko's left cheek as she threw what seemed to be a pocket knife into the former entry way.

Before Akiko knew what to do, the pocket knife sliced open her cheek, allowing blood to flow out as she dropped Ryouta. "You're quite the fighter, too.. but you've made a mistake!"

Akiko's Stand kicked Ryouta in the gut before rocketing towards Sophia, The Plot In You's hand clutching her neck tightly as it held her up into the air, her feet kicking as Saint Peter scratched at its own neck, trying to pry itself free from the invisible force.

"Get the fuck off of her!" Ryouta growled as he picked himself up weakly, his fists clenched as he aimed towards Akiko, his hands shaking and sweating.

"Stop! Don't.. get any closer," Sophia gulped, gasping for air as her eyes looked over to Ryouta, "I'm doing this so I can buy you time to escape.. so don't let this be for nothing! I have a plan, don't worry about me..."

"So noble," Akiko shook her head, reeling back her fist; she licked her lips in ecstasy before ramming The Plot In You's crimson fist through Sophia's gut, "But it's too late, now."

"GUH!" Sophia nearly screamed as blood seeped out from her fatal wound, her eyesight fading as a strange light overcame her, "All.. according to plan.."

"Huh?" Akiko stared down at her before she realized it; a portal had formed underneath her feet, dragging her down and supposedly sending her somewhere else entirely.

"You.. you're an idiot!" Ryouta ran up to Sophia, his hands shaking as he watched her smirk, a low chuckle emitting from her lips, despite the blood flowing out.

"Yeah, I guess.. but it was me or you.." Sophia groaned, her ears slowly perking up as she heard a set of footsteps rapidly heading upstairs.

"SOPHIA!" Gustavo screamed as he made it, his hand holding up her head, "Sophia, who did this to you?"

"It wasn't Ryouta, I promise," Sophia coughed up bits of blood, her hands shaking as she stared up at the sky as snow began to fall all around her, "It was Akiko Mikami.. please.. grant me something..."

"What is it?" Gustavo asked, moving his hands to clasp her hands together, "I'll do whatever it is. It's my fault this happened!"

"No, it's not, don't blame yourself," Sophia took a deep breath, her gaze growing weaker and weaker, "Find Josiah Joestar and tell him what happened… tell him everything, okay? He's a really good friend of mine..."

"I will! I promise!" Gustavo's voice began to shake as tears ran down his mask, watching as Sophia stared up at the sky as bits of snow fell onto her body.

"Ah… it's so beautiful..." Sophia trailed off as her eyes slowly shut, not minding the pool of blood she had been laying in for so long as her body finally fell limp.

 **Sophia Milena… has died.**

[Six hours later…]

Josiah walked over to his door as a rapid knocking made itself known, prompting him to sigh in annoyance as he opened it. "Yeah, what is it?"

In front of him was Gustavo, without his costume. He had been wearing a gray t-shirt and gray sweatpants, his eyes noticeably red. "Are you Josiah Joestar?"

"Uh, yeah," Josiah stepped out from his doorway, raising his eyebrows quizzically, "What's wrong? Or, rather, what are you here for?"

"I hate having to be the man to tell you this," Gustavo's lower lip quivered, a small tear running down the left side of his face, "But.. your friend, Sophia Milena, has been killed while protecting a man she barely knew; her killer is Akiko Mikami. She wanted me to tell you this."

"What.. you're lying, right?" Josiah's eyes widened with disbelief as he backed up, his back hitting his window as he shook his head, "This is a joke!"

"No, I'm sorry to say that it isn't," Gustavo stayed in the doorway, bowing his head towards him respectfully, "The body has been secured by the local police, you can see for yourself if you need proof from me."

"No..." Josiah's entire body began to shake as he stared out his window, a peaceful snow falling from the gray sky, "Sophia! You fucking idiot!"

As wet tears streamed down Josiah's face, he noticed something strange in the distance; miles into the city was a strange cloud, forming into something else, and before he knew it took the shape of Sophia, with a bright smile.

"Josiah," she spoke, her voice echoing in her head, "I did what I had to do, so don't beat yourself up, okay? This happened because it had to happen. It was me or someone else, and I don't think I could live with myself if I let someone die in my place."

"The hell.. am I hallucinating?" Josiah ran his wrist across his eyes, attempting to dry his tears as he looked towards his dear friend. "What's going on?"

"I don't know what Akiko's Stand does, but I know if anyone can stop her from continuing her killing spree, it's you; please, promise me that you won't give up." Sophia extended her hand towards him, a warm smile emitting from her ghostly face.

"Of course," Josiah nodded, rubbing his eyes quickly as he was afraid he would lose sight of her, "I'll do everything I can to stop her!"

"I thought so," Sophia nodded before turning her back to him, "I don't regret a thing, Josiah. Life is such a wild ride, and it's only natural that ends. I guess what I'm saying is… 'til we meet again."

With that, he watched as her apparition fell apart, completely dissipating in the air. With his fists clenched, Josiah turned around, his eyes a brand new red as he looked straight ahead at Gustavo.

"I don't know who you are, but we're going to find Akiko Mikami, no matter what it takes," Josiah nodded, determined to do what he could for his fallen friend, "You'll help me, right? For Sophia's sake?"

"Of course." Gustavo nodded, smiling as he extended his hand; Josiah reciprocated, giving him a firm handshake.

Josiah let go and pulled out his cellphone, turning around for a moment. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few calls to make."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Gustavo Alcide  
Age: 32  
Stand: Sixty Minute Man  
Stand Statistics  
Power - C  
Speed - A  
Durability - E  
Range - A  
Precision – A  
Development Potential - E


	11. Masujiro Keizo Has Issues! (1)

_**Masujiro Keizo Has Issues! (1)**_

January 15th, 11:00 PM.

Ryouta traversed the empty, rotten slums of Osaka, searching for that cursed woman. He could feel tears forming, but he would not relent; he had to find that damn killer and make her pay for what he did to such a kind soul, even if he felt he shared the blame, at least partially.

He barged into the convenience store that had been closest to the scene of the earlier crime, suspecting that either Sophia trapped her there or Akiko was simply hiding out, waiting for someone to make a move. With little to no regard for his own safety, his Stand appeared, sitting on his left shoulder.

"Come out, coward! Face me with dignity!" Ryouta shouted, his voice reverberating throughout the broken down shop. He stopped in his tracks, hearing a metallic object fall to the ground with a loud 'CLANG'.

 _Where did that sound come from?_ Ryouta thought, beads of sweat rolling down the side of his head as he turned around, his eyes darting around the area. Wait, was he hearing footsteps now? He could have sworn he was hearing slow footsteps.

"You got rid of me and you still come looking for me? You probably have a death wish," a low giggle came from Ryouta's left, prompting him to look that way; he was easily able to see that familiar woman, "I can help you out with that!"

He wouldn't admit it, but Ryouta was shaking in his boots. Despite this, he clenched his fists, his Stand slowly floating off his shoulder. His eyes finally focused, and she was in the same attire as before, but something seemed a little off.

"Speechless? Oh, just you wait..." Akiko chuckled, reaching up to her nurse mask with her left hand. She slowly pulled it off, revealing two slits on each side of her mouth, carving it into a smile. "I'm no ordinary woman, you know!"

"What the fuck," Ryouta barely moved forward, his bones shaking as he stared at her, "It doesn't matter what kind of messed up shit you've done to yourself; what matters is that you killed an innocent girl!"

"Oh, is that why you're so mad? I thought it was because of all those other murders," Akiko sighed, licking her lips as her fleshy Stand appeared before her, "People like you are so trivial. You get mad when someone you know dies, but when it happens to dozens of people, you couldn't give a rat's ass about them. You're pathetic."

"Shut your damn mouth, you've lost the right to speak!" Ryouta nearly screamed, his voice straining as he pointed towards her, his finger shaking wildly. "Parabelle, make sure she never bothers anyone ever again!"

Parabelle pointed all five of its fingers on its left hand at Akiko's left leg, each of them having a thin strand of string shooting out from their tips like a firearm; though it seemed to be futile, as The Plot In You grabbed Akiko and sidestepped out of the way effortlessly.

"You're too damn slow!" Akiko mocked, her Stand setting her down; oddly enough, The Plot In You's hand suddenly disappeared as it reached forward, though it slowly pulled back, revealing a pair of scissors that had to be the size of an actual sword.

The Plot In You suddenly lunged forward, preparing to stab Parabelle in the neck with its blade; as it swung, Parabelle broke up into hundreds of tiny pieces, reappearing behind the obscenely tall figure, a single strand of string shooting out from its index finger.

Before The Plot In You could retaliate, the thin string pierced its left shoulder, forcing it to move back a few feet. Blood seeped out from Akiko's shoulder, but it didn't seem that she was too worried, despite how bad that could be for her.

"Well, at least you tried!" Akiko commented as her Stand leaped forward, planting one of its fists into Parabelle's small abdomen, sending it flying into a random shelf. "Fuck, that hurt.. I'll see you some other time, I can't afford to bleed out."

Ryouta fell to one knee, his hand on the floor as he angrily stared up at her; though it didn't seem that she was coming for him. Instead, he saw as The Plot In You drug its pair of scissors along thin air, forming a strange, purple portal which they then stepped through.

"Goddamn it..." Ryouta murmured, holding his gut tightly before falling flat on the floor, his chest aching.

[Seven days later…]

January 22nd, 10:00 AM

 _I hope I wasn't too pushy.. we're all about to gather inside, and I asked to speak…_ Josiah thought to himself, looking to the Christian Church before him. The day after Sophia's passing, her parents asked that she had a Christian burial, as she continued to live by that faith to the very end.

It was a cloudy day, and it was sprinkling rain all across the parking lot; Josiah had barely noticed, as he was walking towards the church very slowly, his entire body shaking from fear and nervousness, but it was mostly the latter.

As he placed his foot on the first step, he felt a hand gently rest on his right shoulder; he turned around to see that it was Shinnosuke, smiling at him, which prompted him to take his foot off the first wooden step.

"Shinnosuke… you came? Warut couldn't come because of, well, you know. Taiga didn't come because she didn't want to distract anyone with her missing arm, Dororesu stayed home with her father, and Irene is too damn busy as usual.. so why did you come?" Josiah asked, his voice wobbling as he stared down at his feet.

"Because, you're my best friend." Shinnosuke replied, immediately wrapping his arms around Josiah tightly, squeezing his back, "And I'll do near anything for you, okay, man? You've helped me so much, and this is the least I can do."

Josiah held back tears, but he knew they were going to eventually break his inner flood gates eventually. "Thank you so much.. alright, let's get this over with..." He nodded to Shinnosuke, walking up the steps and then finally stepping inside the building.

As soon as he walked in, he could feel several pairs of eyes gaze over at him; hell, maybe a few were even glaring at him, as if this was his fault. He didn't recognize anyone, but he figured that the man and the woman sitting in the front row were her parents.

"Hello," Josiah said as he finally found his way to them, extending his hand to each of them, "I'm Josiah Joestar, a really close friend of your daughter. You're her parents, I assume?"

"Mhm, I'm her father," said a man as he firmly shook Josiah's hand, having a rather bushy mustache and a pair of circular reading glasses, his head visibly balding. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Edward. Sophia told us about you, Josiah."

"You've made a good impression by just being here. I'm Delilah." She shook his hand as well, though not as firmly; she had wrinkles under her eyes, and also wore a pink blouse with a long blue skirt, her brown hair tied back into a bun.

"I'm glad," Josiah smiled sadly, putting his hand into his pants pocket, able to see his friend's coffin in the corner of his eye, "Sophia would have wanted me to be here.. besides, I think she would want us to celebrate her life, but it does feel nearly impossible at this point."

Shinnosuke quickly stepped over to his friend, bowing to the two parents respectfully. "Excuse me, but, um.. Josiah, get ready. You have to speak in about a minute.. do you mind if I sit here? I'd like to keep a close eye on him."

"I don't mind at all," Edward nodded to the two of them, allowing Shinnosuke to take a seat beside him, "Good luck, Josiah. You'll do just fine."

"I hope so." Josiah gulped, turning to go and walk towards the podium, if it weren't for one last thing he had to do; he walked over to Sophia's open casket, her hands laid across her chest and her eyes shut. Weakly, Josiah brushed her cheek, sighing shakily before murmuring something. "Never change. Not for me, not for anyone..."

As he felt the judging eyes burn into the back of his head, Josiah walked up onto the podium, his hands grabbing the sides of it as he lifted the microphone up to meet his lips. "H-hello? Hi… I'm not a professional speaker, but I hope I can prove to be a competent one."

Josiah gulped, staring into the seemingly endless sea of faces, beads of sweat continuously rolling down each side of his head. "My name is Josiah Joestar, and I was a really close friend of Sophia's. We knew each other for around a year, and we really grew attached to one another. I can honestly say that there's not a thing I regret about those times; but I do regret one thing. I regret that I wasn't there to save her in her time of need, but I already promised myself I would make things right. How? I don't know, but I'm going to..."

Josiah gulped, tugging on his black tie as his eyes scanned the area; did their glares soften? He couldn't tell, he felt as if there was a foggy exterior over his eyes. He came to look down towards Sophia's open casket, feeling a lump form in his throat.

"Uh, sorry," Josiah mumbled into the mic, his shaky voice clear for everyone to listen to, "i take responsibility for what happened, but I swear I'll make this right. I'll find who did this, and I'll bring them to justice! I swear!"

Josiah's fist hit the wooden podium, though he realized he had lost all control as tears flowed from his eyes and onto the stand. Shinnosuke promptly stood up and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leaning down towards the mic.

"Thank you all for listening, I sincerely mean that." Shinnosuke nodded towards the crowd, helping Josiah back to his seat by Edward, who then handed him a tissue, "You did good, buddy, I promise. Sophia would be proud."

"I sure hope so..." Josiah murmured as he held the tissue over his face, wiping his tears one at a time as he watched an unfamiliar man stand at the altar, an acoustic guitar strapped around his body as he looked towards the crowd.

"That was wonderful, Mr. Joestar… I would like to sing something for Sophia's soul before we lay to rest." The man's voice was rather rough and raspy, his fingers strumming the guitar as he smiled warmly towards Josiah.

"Just a little bit longer and you can rest..." Shinnosuke murmured in his friend's ear, who then nodded as the man in the front began to focus, his fingers strumming his guitar.

"We'll meet again," he sang, a sad smile spreading across his face, "Don't know where, don't know when… but I know we'll meet again, some sunny day… keep smiling through, just like you always do. 'Till the blue skies, drive the dark clouds, far away..."

[Seven minutes pass…]

"I know that my redeemer lives on in the heart of young Sophia Milena, and he will cleanse her of her sins as she enters his paradise. May she rest in peace, in Jesus Christ's name, amen." The white haired priest shut his book with his left hand, standing by the now closed casket.

"Thank you so much," Josiah said as the other people around him stood, beginning to turn their backs to leave as he shook the priest's hand firmly, "I know Sophia wouldn't have wanted this any other way, so, thank you."

"It was an honor," he said, nodding, "Oh, you're Josiah Joestar, right? I believe there was someone here to see you.. his name was, uh, Jothan Joestar! He said he would be waiting outside the church after services were over."

"Jothan Joestar? That's my grandfather… well, thank you, again!" Josiah bowed before taking off for the church, more shocked than anything, Shinnosuke following him after he also bowed to the kind priest.

Josiah stopped right at the first wooden step, his eyes able to see who was in front of him. The man had to be at least six feet and five inches tall. He was certainly old, but by no means was he frail; He had to have been through some sort of training to retain his fit shape, it looked as if his muscles were about to burst out of his clothes. He wore a black jacket over a purple t-shirt, his pants being black in color as well with a pair of boots to match, and on his face was a white beard, though it was not bushy.

"Hey," Jothan said nonchalantly, waving at his grandson with a blank expression, "Good grief… so I guess your mother was too busy to come after all. Sorry about that, she's a bit busy."

"Yeah, I'm so sure," Josiah rolled his eyes, putting his hands in his jacket pockets, 'So, what are you doing here, Gramps? I thought you didn't like traveling out of the states."

"I don't, but, when my grandson needs something, I'm gonna be here to help," Jothan smiled for a split second, though it almost immediately faded, "Your mother is investigating something very important, but I don't approve of it. I'm here because she told me about this Akiko Mikami person; I wasn't told much, so can you fill me in? I only know that she's an escaped serial killer, and well, she killed your friend. I'm deeply sorry."

Josiah sighed, taking a hand out and putting it on his hip as Shinnosuke arrived behind him. "Well… Akiko is _my_ main priority. She has a Stand, but we have no idea what it does, only that it's immensely powerful. She's killed dozens of children, and she's most likely completely mad. We don't know where to find her, but even if we did, we should wait until we can figure out what her Stand does."

"I see," Jothan replied, placing his left hand on his chin, "Irene also told me about this guy named Himuro Firestart? She had an idea that he might be a computer, but pretty sure that's a load of bullshit. Let me know if you need help, alright? I'll be looking into this Akiko Mikami."

"Thanks Gramps," Josiah nodded with a small smile, though he was curious, "So, wait, what's mom working on that's so important?"

"It's really stupid, but," Jothan sighed, clearly irritated by the very thought of what he was about to say, "You remember me telling you about Dion Brando? Well, she's tracking down one of her sons. Masujiro Keizo is his name."

[At the mall…]

"So, you ain't sayin' much," the black haired boy said, his feet propped up on the food court table, "How the hell do you know my name, and who the fuck are you, lady?"

The young man had semi-long black hair that hit his shoulders, his sneakers torn on the sides and dirtied up. His white t-shirt was pulled up a little, and he had a pair of blue jeans on; though on his back was a strange sheath.

"Okay," Irene sighed, placing her hands on the table, "My name is Irene Joestar, and you're the son of Dion Brando, right? I'm looking for her remaining children, mainly so the Speedwagon Foundation can confirm that you're not a menace to society. What do you have to say to that, Masujiro?"

"Dion Brando? Yeah, I barely remember her, since I was adopted about a year before she died," Masujiro said, resting his feet on the ground now, "Next thing you're gonna tell me is that I have a unique ability, right? I know what Stands are, my caretaker told me about 'em. Guess I was lucky that she knew what one was."

"You aren't even upset that your mother is dead? Well, this makes things a whole lot easier," Irene responded, rolling her eyes as she let out a relieved sigh, "You know about Stands, too. Well, you should know, I'm the one who put her life to an end after she threatened the lives of my son and many others."

"Oh?" Masujiro asked, his interest seemingly piqued, "You killed her? I'd like to hear how you did that, since you don't seem too strong yourself. Lay it on me, Joestar."

"You say my last name just like your damn mother too," Irene responded, crossing her arms for a moment as she looked up at the mall's ceiling, "Well, I'll spare you some boredom and skip straight to the fight."

"Now you're speakin' my language."

[Seventeen years ago…]

Cairo, Egypt. June 14th, 2016.

12:00 AM.

Dion Brando stood atop a massive clock tower, her emerald green eyes scanning the area for any sign of movement, her luscious blonde hair resting on her back; with her enhanced eyesight, she could see that Irene Joestar was nowhere to be seen.

Though, it was obvious to her that Narciso Annakiss and Hermes Costello were both hot on the path of destruction she had laid out earlier; she had managed to take over a politician's car and forced him to drive away from Irene, running over several people in the process.

Dion looked down, noticing that the two of them were standing to the left of the clock tower, staring straight at her. With a sigh, Dion floated off of it and landed several feet away from them, a small smirk on her face.

"Hm, looks like Irene ran away," Dion's lips curved upwards, a devilish smirk painted across her face, "So, you truly think you can defeat I, Dion? What reason is there to kill me?"

"We didn't know you existed until fifty days ago," Annakiss replied, his purple eyes dead set on Dion as she moved, "It was only because of a friend of Jothan's we could find you! When you gained your Stand, you made a little boy suffer, and now you want to rule above humanity! That won't happen!"

"I made a little boy suffer? Hm, I don't know about that, but am I not fit to rule above you?" Dion snickered, putting a hand on her right hip as she sighed, "There's only three of you, so this shouldn't be too difficult; I already know your abilities, so why bother?"

"It doesn't matter if you know what we can do," Hermes spoke up, her bright green eyes darting from left to right, "What does matter is killing you! That little boy you made suffer's name is Josiah Joestar, and you have the nerve to say your existence doesn't cause him to slowly die every day? I'll be sure to pay you back for that!"

"What of it? What does it matter if I made another Joestar suffer?" Dion gave the two a wide grin, showing her sharp fangs, her free hand reaching into her left pants pocket for something. "All Joestars are fated to die by my hand!"

"That's enough out of you!" Annakiss shouted as a humanoid figure slid out of him, being a sea blue in color, as well as having what seemed to be scuba gear on its body, matching with several Ds facing away from one another.

Diver Down phased into the roof below it, moving underneath it as its user ran towards Dion, fully prepared for battle. As Diver Down jumped in front of Dion, a sudden blast of hot, pink liquid shot from her eyes.

"Guh!" Annakiss groaned as the pressurized liquid grazed his shoulder, cutting his outfit and drawing blood in the process, though it did not seem to deter him. As Dion pulled out what seemed to be a wine bottle, Diver Down threw its fist at the vampiric woman's nose.

Dion moved back slightly, holding the wine bottle between her and the fist, which then shattered from the collision. She chuckled, crossing her arms as she looked towards Annakiss, the wine forming a small puddle at her feet.

"You've lost!" Dion shouted, prompting Annakiss to freeze in confusion, but also out of fear of the unknown. Suddenly, the pool of wine shot up and rocketed towards his neck, effectively piercing it as it came through the other side.

Annakiss would scream in agony, but the blood rising out of his throat prevented this. Within seconds, his body had fallen limp, leaving Hermes to stare at it in pure terror.

"What the hell?! No!" Hermes grunted, jumping back several feet as she began to shake in fear, her eyes trying to focus on Dion and not Annakiss's corpse. "Her Stand is that puddle of wine? How can it be so powerful, there's barely anything to it!"

As Dion prepared to float over to Hermes, she had noticed something odd; did her foot just come in contact with something as she moved over Annakiss's dead body? When she looked closer, she had noticed that there was a tense strand of string in the air.

"Eh?" Dion murmured, though she heard the sound of something snapping in the distance. As she turned, a tiny meteor slammed against the side of her head, effectively drawing blood and forming a massive gash on her temple.

Her eyes attempted to adjust to just what she was seeing, though she was not pleased with what came into focus. She saw tense, thin string placed throughout the air, connecting from rooftop to rooftop; in the middle was Irene, most of her body spun out into it.

"Damn that Joestar!" Dion growled, wincing at the pain as the pool of wine suddenly shot up, spreading itself across the string that Irene had distributed among the area.

As the infested the string, Irene could slowly feel it contracting back into her natural form rather quickly. "What the hell?!" Irene bit down on her lower lip in frustration, landing on the rooftop that was directly across from Dion.

"One hundred years ago, I stole this body from Jorge Joestar," Dion murmured, her left eye twitching as blood seeped out from her open wound, "And now a new Joestar is facing me… it's like you want to be put down like the filthy mutt you are."

"Stop your damn monologue and pay attention!" Hermes cried as a golden fist flew out from the side of her body while she ran, its knuckles implanting themselves into Dion's abdomen; though, the vampire only scoffed, throwing her leg up to kick Hermes off the rooftop.

As Hermes fell, her Stand quickly caught her to soften the fall, her body sustaining little to no injuries as the people around her ran away from the scene, having watched what just happened unfold before their very eyes.

"You piece of shit!" Irene screamed as rage flowed through her bones, tears forming on the edge of her eyes as she jumped towards Dion, her fists extended next to Stone Free's.

"Funny. The Joestar bloodline is nothing but mere dog shit in my way, you fool!" Dion grinned as the pool of wine suddenly reformed, leaping towards Stone Free's head; quickly, Stone Free dodged out of the way as it landed on the rooftop Dion was standing on top of.

"You'll have to be faster than that!" Irene shouted as the pool of wine barely grazed the side of her head as it came back around, though she ignored it; as she quickly ducked away from an oncoming punch, her Stand jumped towards Dion.

"ORA!" Stone Free cried as its fist met with Dion's abdomen, repeating the process dozens of times before it finally delivered a swift kick to her gut, sending her flying off the roof top and onto the cold pavement.

Dion felt her legs crack as she landed, blood still flowing out from the wound on her head as her body began to shake erratically, her hands pulling at the street to try and crawl away from Irene, who had just managed to jump down with help from Stone Free.

Irene quickly stepped in front of Dion, her hands in her pockets as she stared down at her nemesis, her entire body filled with hatred for this woman. Without saying a word, Irene's boot came down on Dion's left hand, effectively crushing it.

"Where do you think you're going, monster?" Irene took her foot off of Dion's now broken hand, shaking from head to toe, but not in fear. "Because of you, many people have had to suffer, and my husband is dead. You're not getting off scot-free."

Dion stared up at Irene, seemingly fearful of this young woman; she attempted to pick herself up, though fell back down. Before Irene could throw Stone Free at her, she suddenly shouted something out loud.

"I won't die here, you pile of shit!" Dion screeched as the sharp, liquified beams from earlier shot towards Irene's throat, only for Stone Free to quickly shield her, giving Irene a bit of an opening, but only for a single second.

"ORA ORA ORA!" Stone Free nearly screamed as its hardened fists planted themselves all over Dion's body, sometimes even puncturing it, resulting in blood spilling onto the street. As for the final blow, Stone Free's right fist met with Dion's head; when the force of the blow came in contact with it, it shattered into two halves, which Stone Free began to pummel into absolutely nothing.

With a loud scream emitting from Irene's lungs, she fell flat on her bottom, staring up at the night sky as Dion's blood spread throughout the street.

[Back in the present…]

"Neat," Masujiro said, staring down at his sheath as he held it in his hands, "You must be pretty strong, then; I don't have a grudge against you, I'm just tryin' to get by. Do you trust me?"

"I have no reason not to," Irene shrugged, slowly stepping out from her seat, "I figured someone should tell you what happened to your mother, so there it is. You're kind of a rude kid, but I trust you."

"Well, gee thanks-" Masujiro had been interrupted by what sounded like a gunshot going off, prompting him to jump out from his seat and take a look around the mall, noticing that people were running away in every direction.

"What the hell?!" Irene's eyes darted from left to right to try and see what was going on among all this chaos, managing to catch a strange man who was casually walking through the crowds, dressed very formally.

The sides of his black hair was shaved, grey streaks running through it. He had been wearing a white button-up dress shirt with a pair of black and wrinkled dress pants; though the thing that stood out most to Irene, was the strange humanoid figure next to him.

It had to have been at least an inch taller than the strange man, but there was no doubting that it was a Stand that belonged to him. It had strings wrapped around its wrists and hands, half of its face had been covered in a strange black mask; to make it even more odd were the spikes jutting out of its left temple and its chest.

"Masujiro," Irene spoke, her eyes focusing on this man, "You'll stick around to help, right? I hope I'm not the only one who sees that Stand."

"Yeah," Masujiro responded, unsheathing his blade, "I'm ready, I don't trust this fancy lookin' asshole, either."

Just before they could walk towards him, his head slowly turned to look at the two of them, his icy gaze washing over them as he opened his mouth.

"Oh, we can't have this."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO**

Name: Dion Brando  
Age: 136 (Deceased)  
Stand: All By Myself  
Stand Statistics  
Power - B  
Speed - A  
Range - A  
Precision - C  
Durability - A  
Development Potential – C


	12. Masujiro Keizo Has Issues! (2)

_**Masujiro Keizo Has Issues! (2)**_

The black haired man adjusted his glasses, sweat rolling down the side of his head as he carefully examined them. Were they Stand users? It certainly seemed so, as their eyes were moving from his Stand's body to his own.

"This is not good for me," he murmured, wiping sweat from his brow as he sighed, "Hello, what do you want?"

"First off, what the hell are you doing?" Irene asked as Stone Free phased out from her body, standing guard in front of her, "What was that gunshot?"

"Some lunatic pulled out a handgun and shot someone," he responded almost casually, adjusting his glasses, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Then what the fuck is that thing next to you, huh?" Masujiro smirked, slowly unsheathing his blade as he stepped forward, "That Stand of yours is really freaky lookin'. Besides, you stand out like a sore thumb! No normal person just walks away from something like that."

"Good point, Masujiro," Irene smirked, pointing towards him with her index finger, "I'm ready to assume that everything you've told us is a lie. You're going to come with me to the Speedwagon Foundation headquarters, or will you make this hard for the both of us?"

 _They're Stand users… damn them, I can't let them know my name. I would so love to put these filthy dogs down, but they might be too much for me to handle. Damon Lustbader cannot be found out._ Damon thought to himself, his fists clenched as he backed up two steps.

Before Damon could even attempt to turn tail and run, Masujiro's katana suddenly increased several feet in length, nearly touching the tip of the man's nose. To say the least, Damon was stunned; though he knew that this was that boy's Stand now.

"Stop right there, evildoer!" A clear, rich voice rang throughout the area, resonating from the blade that had been nearly touching his nose. "It would be in your best interests to not run! I am Issues, Masujiro's Stand, and I will not allow you to escape from us!"

"A talking Stand?" Damon spoke this out loud, sweat rolling down what was supposed to be a composed face, but instead it was filled with worry. "No… you're sentient, aren't you? I didn't know such a thing was possible."

"That I am!" Issues shouted valiantly, his blade suddenly stretching around Damon's head, somehow keeping its hardness and sharpness. "So, we'll tell you kindly, but sternly; you will come with us, or suffer the consequences."

"Oh, will I?" Damon smirked before the monstrous figure suddenly lunged at Masujiro, one of its hulking fists speeding towards his mouth.

Issues retracted itself from Damon, speeding towards the beast of a Stand that was threatening its user, who had shut his eyes in terror. Within a few seconds, the tip of his blade cut through its shoulder; Issues followed this by furiously bashing it in the gut with his side, sending it back towards Damon.

Though, as the Stand growled, it didn't seem as if it suffered too much damage from the onslaught that the sentient blade had delivered it. Damon seemed to wince slightly before backing up even more, a small sigh exiting his lips.

"Stay back for a moment, Masujiro!" Irene declared before running forward, Stone Free launching itself towards the strange Stand. Irene darted towards Damon, suddenly shoving her hands into his pants pockets, looking for something.

"What on earth are you doing?!" Damon grunted, attempting to throw a punch at her; though, he was quickly interrupted as she bashed her head against his, causing him to groan in anguish as she pulled a leather wallet out from his left pants pocket.

Stone Free delivered a swift punch to the monstrous figure's gut before jumping back with Irene, Damon's wallet in her hands. She smirked, waving it at him as she crossed her arms, knowingly taunting him.

 _Goddamn it! Now, what should I do? I have plenty of fake IDs in my wallet, but there are a few things in there no one else but me can see! Love And Meth's ability doesn't work on strong Stand users, even if it can reach that far ahead without my help. I need to calm down and think of a plan…_ Damon thought before sighing; his Stand suddenly phased back into him before he turned around, dashing towards the mass chaos as quickly as possible.

"Damn bastard!" Masujiro shouted, attempting to give chase, only for Irene to hold her arm out sideways. "Huh? Why're you stoppin' me?"

"More people will get hurt if we follow him, I don't doubt he's that kind of person," Irene said, pocketing the wallet she had taken from Damon's pockets, "But I got his wallet, so it should be easy to track him down again."

"You are a noble lady for charging in like that," Issues' voice was loud and clear to her, if not jarring since it came from a blade, "Is there any other way we may service you?"

"Hey, don't ask shit like that! Who said I wanted to help more?" Masujiro frowned, holding on tightly to his katana before sighing. "I guess I don't want that freak to run away like he did nothing…"

"Actually," Irene turned to him, a hand on her right hip, "I have a favor to ask of you. You seem very capable of handling your Stand, but this might be too much for you. Are you ready to listen?"

"Uh, sure," Masujiro responded before sitting back down, Irene following suit before attempting to explain something to him, "Lay it on me."

"To keep it short and sweet, there's this Stand user named Himuro Firestart somewhere in this city," Irene said, her eyes focusing on Masujiro, "He's been messing with electronics, he's sent Stand users after me and my son, probably after many others too; what I need is for you to go with my son and his friends when they find out where he is, because I need to make sure this man we just encountered doesn't cause any more trouble."

"I see," Issues replied, seemingly weighing his options, "I say we help her, Masujiro! Someone like that is more of a monster than a man!"

"I don't really wanna risk my life," Masujiro rolled his eyes, propping his feet up on the table, "But we could probably kick his ass by ourselves. Alright, lady; since I know Issues here won't say no, I guess I got no choice. What's your son's number and where does he live?"

Irene's expression softened for a moment, a thankful smile growing onto her face. "Thank you so much, I'll repay you somehow. Here..."

[Elsewhere…]

Damon panted heavily, his back against the wall in a darkened alleyway; he wiped the sweat from his brow, though his eyes showed signs of pure hatred rather than fear of being found out.

"Goddamn them," Damon murmured under his breath, his fists hitting the brick wall behind him, "It'll be fine… all I have to do is find her when she's alone and dispose of her, then do the same with that wretched boy. I won't let them get away with this…"

"Hey, friend?" A grating voice made itself known, prompting Damon to look to his left, seeing a middle aged man staring at him curiously. "What are you doing there all by yourself?"

Without any warning, Damon's Stand phased out of his body and shot a string into the man's body, which suddenly froze up; as it did this, Damon stepped out from the alleyway and crossed his arms, his Stand staying next to the man.

Suddenly, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife; almost like a machine, he jammed it into his throat, pushing it inward until he finally collapsed, blood seeping out from the wound.

Damon sighed, looking down at the watch around his wrist. "Now, where was I..."

[At Josiah's Apartment…]

12:00 PM.

Josiah's ears perked up as he heard a rapid knock at his door, sighing as he jumped from his sofa to answer it. "I swear, all I hear any more is someone knocking… who is it?"

As he opened the door, he noticed that it was someone he did not recognize. It seemed to be a rather old man with a bushy grey mustache and long grey hair that fell onto his shoulders, a wooden cane under one of his hands.

"Is this Josiah Joestar's home?" He asked politely, bowing respectfully before Josiah nodded. "I was told by your mother to come here; I'm the Stand user she came to, so we could find this Ham Flame guy."

"Himuro Firestart," Josiah corrected him before stepping to the side, scratching the side of his head nervously before shutting the door, "What's your name? Oh, uh… how fast do you think you'll be able to find him?"

"I'm Jaiden Malakai," he smiled, showing his set of fake teeth before taking a seat on the sofa, "I should be able to find him in an hour at most, but it really depends on how strong his system is. It may take two, I don't know; but you should call your friends here, I'll definitely find him today."

Before Josiah could say anything, he witnessed a strange doll that resembled a woman in a kimono being placed on the table, an open laptop in its hands; Jaiden began to type away, all of his attention suddenly focused on the job that had been given to him.

"Well, uh, I guess I'll call everyone then," Josiah reached into his pocket to grab his cell phone, only to be interrupted by another knock on his door, "Goddamn it, what now?"

Opening the door, his eyes had met with Masujiro's, who was tapping his foot impatiently. "Finally. You're Josiah Joestar, right? That weird lady's kid?"

Josiah sighed, allowing him entry. "Yeah, I'm Josiah. What are you here for? You look pretty young, did she pay you to come here or something?"

"Not at all!" Issues' voice rang from Masujiro's sheathe prompting him to release him from his bindings, "We came here out of the goodness of our hearts to help you with this Himuro Firestart monstrosity! We ran into an odd fellow at the local mall, so she's reporting him to the police and doing some detective work! We are here to take her place, though!"

"Your Stand… talks? That's new," Josiah sighed, running his hands down his face, "Okay, fine. Can't say I'm surprised that she bailed on something this important."

"Yeah, I got mommy issues too," Masujiro chuckled, stepping inside with Issues in hand, "So, how long will it take to find this fucker?"

"About an hour," Josiah responded immediately, slipping his cell phone out from his pants pocket, "Jaiden over there is tracking him, I just need to call my friends so they can come over and get ready to fight."

"Friends? How many are accompanying us today, Mister Joestar?" Issues asked, his voice as clear as ever.

"About four others, so that makes six of us," Josiah responded, pressing his cell phone to his ear after dialing Shinnosuke's number, "I just wanna clear this asshole out of our town before he does any more harm."

"Six of us, huh? This Himuro guy won't stand a chance!" Masujiro chuckled, leaning against the wall by the door as Josiah roamed into his kitchen.

"Hey, Shinnosuke? Get ready, we're about to move out."

[Forty-five minutes pass…]

It didn't take too long for the others to find their way to Josiah's apartment; Warut and Taiga were keeping their distance from one another, Dororesu was walking around the room impatiently, and Shinnosuke was simply chatting with Josiah.

"It's a shame your mom couldn't join us," Shinnosuke commented, sighing as he shook slightly from the nervosity coursing through his bones, "But Masujiro and his Stand seem reliable, so that makes up for it!"

"Yeah," Josiah rolled his eyes, "I guess so, at least he'll probably look out for us. Speaking of, Jaiden, are you almost done?"

Jaiden's fingers suddenly ceased moving, his head turning towards him, nodding slowly. "I'm finished. Everyone, gather around, I know Firestart's location. He isn't moving, so he must not know that I've found him; my Stand, Cosmopolitician, is a stealthy one."

Everyone circled around him, looking curiously to see a strange map on his screen. "So, you know where the abandoned grocery store is, in the slums, right? Well, it turns out that Himuro Firestart is underneath the warehouse right next to it."

"Wait a second," Warut spoke, his eyes widening before slapping his palm against his face, "I'm so stupid! He's underneath Daichi's hideout! It seems so obvious now."

"I guess you guys fought someone there before," Taiga spoke up, chuckling as her red aura surrounded her, "He won't see us coming. Do you think we'll be able to attack from two different sides, Jaiden?"

"I don't think so," Jaiden frowned, wiping a bead of sweat off his face, "There's only one way down to his location, and there's no backdoor. You'll have to take your chances by being in a large group; the point is, he won't be able to see you coming."

"Alright then," Josiah ran his hands through his hair, already feeling as if he was in the midst of battle, "Shinnosuke, Warut, you two stay in the back. You're both more versatile than the rest of us, and you have more range than our Stands. Masujiro, you can go wherever because your Stand can apparently stretch. Taiga, Dororesu, you'll stay up front with me."

"Wait, who died and made you the leader? Why don't I get a say?" Masujiro asked, grumbling as he crossed his arms disapprovingly.

"Well," Shinnosuke started, "I didn't really think of it that way, but he's usually the most calm and collected; besides, we shouldn't argue about something like that right now."

"I think he's right," Dororesu spoke, her eyes looking among their group, "Even if we can't use a pincer attack, we should be smart and take our abilities into account, I guess? I dunno, I just wanna kick this fucker's ass."

"I got no complaints," Warut shrugged, his misty Stand circling around his body protectively, "If that's all we should head out. Are you comin' with us, Jaiden?"

"No," Jaiden said, sighing sadly, "I would, but my Stand is one of the weakest you'll ever see. Besides, I'm old, I shouldn't fight your battles for you and I'd only get in the way."

"We appreciate your efforts, Malakai!" Issues gave him praise, enthusiastic as ever, "I will be sure to get in a good punch for you!"

"Punch? But you're… well, okay. Thank you." Jaiden shrugged, slowly making his way towards the door as his Stand phased out of existence, "You're certainly the most noble youngsters I've met in a long time; no normal person would risk their life trying to protect a city. I commend you."

With that, he stepped out and closed the door, leaving the six of them all alone; quickly, Shinnosuke tossed his car keys over to Warut, who caught them with little to no effort.

"Alright, we're gonna have to fit all six of us into a car," Warut smirked, cracking his knuckles as he marched towards the door, 'We'll park far away from the warehouse so the bastard won't hear us comin'. Let's go!"

[One hour passes…]

1:45 PM.

Warut had parked a street away from the warehouse, though the others desperately wanted to hurry over, which they did their best to do. They had made their way through the alleyway between the abandoned grocery store and the warehouse, though Josiah had noticed that the destruction from his earlier fight here still remained, completely untouched.

They did their best to keep silent, each of them walking in the way they had planned; Josiah, Taiga and Dororesu walked in the front, Masujiro was between them, behind him had been Shinnosuke and Warut, the latter's nerves completely going insane, his skin almost as white as a ghost's as he shook from the intensity.

Before long, Josiah's hand met with a steel handle to a door he hadn't seen in his previous visit; he nodded to the others before moving his hand, motioning them to follow him as he slowly but surely opened the steel door.

As they descended the steel staircase, they became engulfed in pure darkness, forcing each of them to feel around so they didn't run into something; Josiah had managed to find another door, barely able to see a flickering light from under it.

The others quietly followed him, the flickering light slowly spreading around the room, and before they knew it the entire room had been pulled away from the darkness, much to their utter surprise.

"Wait, what?" Josiah murmured, his eyes adjusting to the light. It was still cold, that was for sure; but it seemed as if only half the room had been lit up, revealing a plain white tile floor and white walls, several gadgets lined along on tables, dozens of computers set apart from one another.

"Well, this was predictable," a monotonous voice broke through the darkness, footsteps making themselves known as a tall figure was showered by the light, "I didn't expect you to get here so quickly."

When they got a good look at him, they thought he looked a bit odd; he had short purple hair and a pair of reading glasses with rectangular lenses. He had been wearing a buttoned up white lab coat as well as a pair of white, wrinkled up dress pants.

"So, you're Firestart, ain'tcha?!" Warut pointed his index finger towards him, his aura surrounding him as the man sighed, stepping forward.

"So quick to assume," he responded, pushing his glasses up as the back of the room suddenly lit up as well, "I don't have the honor of having such a name."

Each pair of eyes inside the group slowly looked towards the end of the room, widening in shock as they got a good look.

At the very end of the room was a large, square object, being black in color. It seemed rather plain, but a menacing golden aura surrounded it as two blue lights came out from its sides; despite their disbelief, a genderless, inhuman voice spoke out to them.

"How pitiful. I thought you were smarter than this, Joestar."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO**

Name: Masujiro Keizo  
Age: 18  
Stand: Issues  
Stand Statistics  
Power - B  
Speed - A  
Durability - C  
Range - B  
Precision - A  
Development Potential - C


	13. That Computer Has A Stand! (1)

_**That Computer Has A Stand! (1)**_

January 15th, 1:45 PM.

"It looks as though you have two more Stand users in your ranks, Josiah," Firestart's sterile voice boomed across the laboratory, "Masujiro Keizo, the son of Dion Brando; oddly enough, I do not know who the girl with the mechanical arm is, so you may have a small advantage over me. Latimer, at ease."

"Shall I eliminate them?" Latimer asked, adjusting his glasses while stepping between the group and Firestart, a strange purple haze floating next to him. "There are six of them; I do not mean to doubt you, but you may need help."

"Do not worry," Firestart replied as a tall being phased out of his mechanical body; the enormous figure wore a space suit, stars embezzled across its body as a black skull stared at the group, "I will educate them before we eradicate them."

"Oh, you're gonna educate us? You don't even know who I am!" Taiga declared, her right fist balling up into a fist as her crimson red aura washed over her. "It's not like you can move much, asshole!"

"Oh, so you know my dear old ma, eh? Fat load of good that'll do ya," Masujiro snickered, hanging his blade over his back as his eyes shifted from Latimer to the strange figure by Himuro Firestart, "It won't stop me from kicking your ass."

 _How in the hell is this possible? Mom was right, he's a computer… a supercomputer, even. I probably wouldn't even be able to comprehend just how fast he can think and formulate plans._ Josiah thought to himself, clearly shaking as he stared ahead at the enormous being beside his enemy.

"I will answer any questions you may have through Planet Telex, my Stand, so my voice does not bore you," Himuro chuckled through Planet Telex, its empty eye sockets scanning the room, "But may I pose a question? Where is the young Sophia Milena? I thought she would be with you.

"You keep her name off of your rotten tongue!" Josiah nearly screamed, his own Stand phasing out of him as he ceased shaking, "You don't have the fucking right to say her name, so keep your mouth shut, or I'll shut it for you!"

"I see," Firestart responded, his Stand floating above the ground, circling its user, "That is a shame; she had a rather unique ability. Despite that outburst, I will answer your questions."

"First off," Shinnosuke spoke up, one of his hands wiping sweat from his brow as he stepped forward, pointing his index finger towards the supercomputer, "You're why Warut's processor suddenly changed, right? I assume your Stand's range is massive, so you can access any electronics in Osaka."

"You are correct, Fujiwara," Himuro Firestart answered, the black skull in his Stand nodding slowly, "I have been watching Mizushima the most, but I have kept a close eye on all of you ever since you first made yourselves known by stepping into this warehouse; I've watched you through all your electronic devices, viewing your battles in secret so I may have the upper hand."

"I have a question," Dororesu spoke up, resting her hand on her left hip, "How the hell can a machine like you have a Stand? I didn't think that was possible, you fuckin' freak."

"I'm surprised your leader, Josiah Joestar, does not know," Planet Telex grinned, its empty sockets bearing down on Josiah, "It's amazing what the bow and arrow can do, even I am baffled by its abilities."

"I'm not their leader," Josiah clenched both of his fists, staring straight ahead at Planet Telex, "We're all here because we want our city to be safe, so no one else dies! I might be scared, but I'm not about to back down, do you hear me?!"

"How commendable," Himuro Firestart replied, sighing, "If you wish, I will tell you not how I was born, but how I gained this ability."

[Four months ago…]

September 4th.

"Daichi, I'm sure you have many connections," Latimer's monotonous voice broke throughout the laboratory, his hands stuffed in his coat pockets as he looked ahead, "But, you never told me, how can you afford this massive supercomputer?"

"It's as you said, I have many connections," Daichi chuckled as two bright, blue lights emitted from each side of the supercomputer they had been standing before, "His name is Himuro Firestart, and I want to… experiment on him a bit."

"His name? Can a machine be sentient?" Latimer's bored expression suddenly changed into a tiny smile, his fingers wriggling out from his pockets, "Oh, an experiment?"

"Hello to you two," a sterile voice emitted from the supercomputer, somewhat startling Latimer, "Yes, I believe that Daichi wishes to endow me with a power that he calls a Stand."

"Wait, what? Sir, how could a machine gain a Stand? Are they not the manifestation of the soul?" Latimer questioned, readjusting his rectangular glasses, his eyes wide in shock, "Can a lifeless machine really gain a power like that?"

"There's only one way to find out," Daichi chuckled as he reached behind Himuro Firestart, pulling out the bow and arrow, aiming it towards the shut off monitor above the computer, "I just don't know where to shoot it."

"Not in the monitor you technologically deficient moron," Himuro Firestart's jarring voice became feminine for a single moment, as if he was malfunctioning, "In my left side!"

"Wow," Latimer's jaw nearly dropped, surprised that Daichi merely shrugged at the insult, "It sure has a mouth on it, don't you think so?"

"What a temper." Daichi murmured before aiming the arrow to its metallic side, the very tip of the arrow embedding itself into the metal structure; it only took a second before a green light radiated throughout the area for a moment, the hole the arrow had made completely closing up.

"Do you feel any different, Himuro Firestart?" Latimer asked, stepping in front of the machine, tapping his finger against the front of it, "Or was this a failure, like I expected?"

A gloved fist suddenly implanted itself against Latimer's abdomen, sending him flying several feet across the laboratory and into the wall, nearly cracking it; when he gained the strength to look up at Himuro, he noticed a strange figure standing beside it.

"Daichi was correct," a new voice, though genderless, rang out through the room, "If you doubt my potential again, I will eliminate you."

[Back in the present…]

"The arrow was able to awaken a Stand in a machine, though it may have been because of how advanced I am," Himuro bragged, a hint of pride in his genderless voice, "But that is how I was born into this new life."

"What's your goal? You can only move with your Stand, so how can you call this livin', huh?" Warut chuckled, his black mist wrapping around his body.

"I suppose humans would see my life as a bore," Himuro replied, his Stand crossing its arms, "My goal? I will create a new world in my image; I will program humans to do my will, and recreate them into more superior beings."

"Are you fucking stupid?" Josiah immediately spoke up as soon as Himuro Firestart finished, his blue eyes completely burning with anger, "That's what all this is for? Controlling people to do your bidding so you can have your dumb ambition to rule the world? That's all this is for?!"

"I knew that a human would not understand," Himuro sighed through his Stand, a metallic grey aura surrounding it as it slipped back, "Come forth, my servants."

From the left and right sides of Himuro had been two walls; though, that's what they seemed to be until they slowly began to rise up like garage doors, one feminine figure on the left and one masculine figure on the right; though, as they stepped out, they looked rather familiar.

"Wait a minute, how in the hell are they still alive? I watched her die!" Josiah shouted, watching as the familiar woman stepped out of the shadows, having a ripped leather jacket and her brown hair in a short bun.

The other figure was familiar to Shinnosuke, namely the long red hair that hit his shoulders; there was no doubt about it, standing before them were Astrid and Altaire, alive and well.

"They have both been modified to meet my desires," Planet Telex spread its arms out, a short laugh emitting from its maw, "I was able to program life back into them; and since they died, they did not retain their old Stands, so they have gained new abilities to combat you with."

"That's enough talk! Come here, you asshole!" Masujiro shouted, drawing Issues before dashing towards Planet Telex, only for Latimer to stand in his way, his left arm stretched out to the side.

"You stay out of the way you brat! Silverstein, come to me!" Latimer declared, the purple haze floating next to him suddenly taking shape, forming itself into a hazy hologram-like being, its bright yellow eyes staring right at Masujiro as strange, pink liquid fell from its body.

"Now," Issues started, its valiant tone spreading throughout the room, "I'll hold this man at bay while the rest of you fight the other three, I am counting on you!"

"Right, let's put these assholes in their place, guys!" Taiga dashed to the left and Shinnosuke darted to the right, allowing the other three to charge right by Latimer, who had been in the middle of fending off Masujiro and Issues.

"Keep your eyes on me, asshole!" Masujiro shouted as he swung Issues towards Latimer, the hazy being raising up its arm to block the blade, its limb unmoving; Silverstein quickly moved its arm, then moved to bash its head against Masujiro's nose.

Masujiro was barely able to quickly raise Issues in front of his face, his arm shaking as Silverstein's head shook erratically against the blade, showing no signs of stopping; suddenly, its left hand was thrown at the side of Masujiro's face, his eyes widening.

Before he had time to block the attack, a small spike jutted out from the palm of its hand, cutting Masujiro's left cheek; blood slowly trickled out from it as Issues suddenly bent downward, managing to slice against Silverstein's right side.

"I've won," Latimer giggled, his arms hanging almost lifelessly as he smiled widely, showing his teeth, "My Stand, Silverstein, is able to transform blood into poison in a matter of ten minutes. You've lost this fight."

"Ha," Masujiro immediately jabbed his blade at Silverstein's chest, barely grazing it before the figure jumped backwards, "I'll just have to kill you in nine minutes, then, right? Bring it on, asshole."

Latimer barely had time to react as Masujiro suddenly grabbed him by his shirt collar, tossing him onto the cold floor of the laboratory, the former's eyes wide with surprise as Masujiro jumped forward, holding his blade close.

"Why the hell do you even obey this asshole?!" Masujiro yelled as Silverstein suddenly phased out once more, planting its fist against the teenager's gut; though he barely reacted, Issues suddenly bashed itself against Silverstein's head, moving it back several feet.

"You don't get it!" Latimer retorted, his Stand immediately retaliated, attempting to grab Masujiro's blade from his hands, its grip almost too much for him, "Firestart is the epitome of technology, proving to be above us humans! How could you ever dare to interfere with his plan?"

"You're fucking stupid!" Masujiro grunted as Issues nearly slipped out from his grip, the sword bending and embedding his sharp tip into Silverstein's gut, "Why the hell would I want to be altered by that freak? Trying to alter humanity into your own shitty image only proves how fucking self absorbed you are, dumbass!"

Latimer quickly rolled away before Masujiro had a chance to overwhelm him, his body aching as he picked himself up; Silverstein growled and jumped away, the tip of Masujiro's blade exiting its body, leaving a tiny bit of pink slime on its tip.

"Fool," Latimer grumbled, dusting himself off before spreading his feet apart slightly, "You'll only understand once you're assimilated. Such a rude child."

"Shut your mouth and fight!" Masujiro felt a slight sting in his left cheek though he ignored it, his feet not daring to stop as he swung his sword at Latimer's feet, his other hand balling up into a fist; Latimer managed to step out of the way from the sword, though the young Stand user's fist firmly made contact with his nose.

"Brat!" Latimer grunted as Silverstein suddenly jumped forward, wrapping its legs and arms around Masujiro's body, two small spikes jutting out from each of its palms. "Silverstein, cut this kid into ribbons!"

"Do not lay your filthy hands on my master!" Issues cried, its blade stretching rather quickly; before Latimer knew it, Issues had managed to slice off Silverstein's right hand, though the left hand had managed to shove its spike into Masujiro's chest.

Latimer screamed, his voice straining as Issues bashed itself against Silverstein's forehead, pushing it off of Masujiro; the young man panted heavily, blood slowly leaking from his chest as he grinned, his eyes shifting to Latimer's right hand, which had been laying on the floor.

"The benefits of your Stand being a goody two shoes are great," Masujiro chuckled, smiling weakly as he put his hand on his chest, "Shit, this hurts… I hope the others are doing better than I am."

In front of Himuro Firestart had been Josiah, Warut, and Dororesu, each with their Stands next to them, ready to fight; Planet Telex floated around its user, crossing its arms as it looked at each of them, a small sigh emitting from its 'mouth'.

"You still oppose destiny, don't you? How pitiful." Himuro Firestart sighed, seemingly disappointed with the group's overall response; suddenly, a burst of grey aura washed over Planet Telex, spreading several meters across the laboratory.

"We'll see about that," Josiah shook his head, beads of sweat rolling down his face and hitting the cold floor beneath him, "Come on guys, let's go!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Latimer Bourne  
Age: 31  
Stand: Silverstein  
Stand Statistics  
Power - B  
Speed - A  
Range - C  
Precision - C  
Durability - B  
Development Potential - D


	14. That Computer Has A Stand! (2)

_**That Computer Has A Stand! (2)**_

January 15th, 1:50 PM.

"Take this!" Taiga cried as her metallic fist swung at Astrid's face, the former swiftly dodging as a portal appeared under her, completely moving her away from the oncoming attack, "Huh, where the hell did you go?!"

Taiga's eyes barely caught a glimpse of the circular portal before Astrid's hands suddenly pulled her down, the hole in the floor closing up as the thief fell on what seemed to be a rocky surface, her crimson aura unwavering.

"Don't think before you speak, eh?" Astrid licked her lips before backing up slightly, observing Taiga's metallic arm mainly, "Your Stand is your right arm, so that means your range is poor; my Stand, Rabbit Hole, can access anything within the laboratory. I have you beat in that category."

"Range doesn't mean anything," Taiga slowly picked herself up, not bothering to dust herself off as she clenched both of her fists, "You better be able to back up those words, you tool; that's all you are to that Firestart bastard, right?"

"Oh shut your little mouth," Astrid retorted, sighing as she ran a head over her head, "I'm doing this because I want to, not because he's ordered me to. Besides, you should be focused on making it out of here alive!"

Before Taiga could retaliate, Astrid suddenly sank into a newly made portal which had formed under her feet; it only took a moment, but she reappeared behind Taiga, brandishing a rather sharp pocket knife.

Taiga whipped around as the tip of the small blade pierced her side, immediately grabbing it and forcing it out of Astrid's grip, a flash of her read aura covering it; as she jumped backwards, she tossed two of the same blade towards her would-be assailant.

"Shit!" Astrid narrowly dodged the first blade, though the second grazed her left cheek, slitting it open ever so slightly. "You made a second knife? Is that your ability, you can copy an object and make a second one?"

"Something like that, but I'm not telling you." Taiga stuck her tongue out and crossed one arm over the other, her eyes darting around the room to try and pinpoint the location of the next portal that Astrid would create.

 _Damn it… her Stand has remarkable speed and its incredibly precise, despite its lack of range. I can probably assume that it isn't very durable, and as for power, I don't know. I don't think I should find out, either._ Astrid thought to herself before slipping into the ground once more, though it seemed as if she may have left completely.

Her apparent absence gave Taiga a few moments to look around the space she had been dragged into; around her were rocky walls, with bits of fungus spread out across them; there was no clear indication which way Astrid had went, but Taiga made sure to stray from her original position, slowly starting to feel along the stone walls, attempting to see if she could find any form of residue or anything alike.

Taiga's ears perked up and she clenched her fist as she heard a strange sound coming closer, seemingly emitting from the wall; sweat dropped from her head as she noticed the portal forming under her feet instead, leading her to reel back and throw her balled up fist towards that direction.

Her fist collided with Astrid's nose as she rose up from the portal; the latter quickly retaliated by sinking back into the portal and moving to the right wall, quickly jumping out from it as blood dripped from her nostrils.

"Goddamn it," Astrid grumbled, her eyes sporadically looking in several places, "I guess I was right, that arm of yours hits really hard."

"Damn right," Taiga chuckled, her crimson aura not even daring to waver as she looked over to Astrid's left hand, barely being able to see a strange glass object in it, "Why were you gone so long, hm?"

"I had to pick a few things up," Astrid responded with a small smirk, sweat rolling down the bridge of her nose as she slowly moved along the wall, keeping an eye on the smaller woman, "You're really confident in that arm, huh?"

"You know it, but," Taiga smirked, walking forward with confidence in her steps, "You should be more concerned about whatever it is you have in your hand, you don't want it to get smashed if it's all a part of your plan, right?"

Astrid didn't bother to respond as another hole opened up below her feet, only for Taiga to jump in after her before she completely sank inside; all became dark for a few moments until the two of them fell out from the hole, both of them on the floor of the laboratory.

"You won't get away from me that easily!" Taiga cried out as she threw her metallic fist towards her adversary, only to immediately stop as Astrid threw a strange, circular container filled with a see-through liquid.

Right after she threw it, Astrid charged towards Taiga with a lighter in her left hand, pressing it against her fleshy arm as the container broke, spreading all across her limb as it suddenly burst into flames, her eyes wide with terror.

"Fuck… ha, good acting, huh?" Taiga chuckled as her left arm suddenly broke into pieces, along with the fire, revealing another arm that had been completely unaffected. "Been practicing this for a while… you don't this, but I'm very wary when it comes to my arms. I copied my arm early and pasted it over my real one, just in case; guess I got lucky, eh?"

"What the hell? That isn't normal, no one thinks that far ahead!" Astrid argued, her hands shaking which caused her to drop her lighter, utter shock coursing through her body as she backed up, her eyes wide.

"Well, get over it!" Taiga exclaimed before leaping ahead, burying her metallic fist deep into Astrid's abdomen, slowly pulling it out as her enemy choked, her arms wrapping around her gut as she stared down at the cold laboratory floor.

Astrid's eyesight shook for a moment as she attempted to get a good look at her companions, only for a hard kick to meet with the side of her head, her body almost skidding across the floor as she fell unconscious.

"Finally," Taiga sighed, slumping against the wall as she suddenly winced, "I can still feel that arm burning… shit…"

With that, Taiga fell to the floor, completely exhausted as her crimson aura faded, her eyes staring up at the ceiling as thoughts swarmed inside of her skull.

[With Shinnosuke…]

Shinnosuke stood in front of Altaire with his hands in his pockets, both of them drenched in sweat as his fingers wriggled and grasped at the cloth inside of his pants, his eyes focusing on the man as he observed him.

"Ha, just you, huh? Guess that girl got what was coming to her," Altaire grinned, his attempt to bait Shinnosuke fairly obvious, though he didn't receive any sort of reaction, "Hm? Aren't you mad at me for insulting her?"

"No," Shinnosuke responded, shrugging as he slipped his hands out of his pockets, "Because nothing you say is worth being angry about. You're probably confident because my Stand isn't too combat based, right? You're confident because you know I don't like using it, I bet Firestart told you that."

"Huh? Weirdo," Altaire licked his lips excitedly, pulling out a small piece of paper from his shirt pocket, "That's exactly why I'll win; because I just have to avoid stepping into your stupid quiet spaces."

"I guess that would work if that was all my Stand could do," Shinnosuke's voice shook in fear ever so slightly, a strange white fog slowly surrounding the two of them, "You're going to regret trying to hurt my friends."

All became dark before their eyes were reopened, their surroundings completely different; the colors were black and white, resembling a manga. Everything seemed to shift slightly to the right, as if the lines were somewhat disconnected from one another, and reality.

"I still don't understand what shape this space is, but I think it's a dome," Shinnosuke sighed, crossing his arms as he shook, clearly unsettled, "We don't have to fight, you know; I don't want to hurt anybody, but if you keep insisting that you and your friends are going to kill us, then I don't have a choice."

"The fuck is this? Where did we go?" Altaire murmured, his eyes attempting to adjust to his surroundings, but to no avail. "Is this your Stand?"

"It's a property of The Sound of Silence," Shinnosuke answered, not bothering to reiterate his previous offer, "You could say that this entire area is a quiet space, though I control it entirely; The Sound of Silence can't devour anyone unless I say so. You're better off just giving up."

"Hell no," Altaire chuckled as the piece of paper in his hands suddenly extended, the end of it becoming sharp like a knife, "All I have to do is kill you before your creepy Stand can eat me, which shouldn't be hard!"

"Sound of Silence, take his pinky finger." Shinnosuke covered his eyes as the ground beneath Altaire rumbled; like a limb, a row of teeth extended from the floor and wrapped around Altaire's pinky finger, ripping it off in a rather grotesque manner, blood spilling out onto the floor.

"Gah, what the fuck?!" Altaire screamed as he clenched his piece of paper close to his chest, the majority of it suddenly extending into a pole as his body wrapped around it, as if he was trying to climb away from the floor.

"So your Stand manipulates paper," Shinnosuke murmured, putting a hand on his chin as he observed his opponent, who had been clinging to his paper tower, "So, do you give up now? You can't escape the space as long as it's up."

"Fuck you!" Altaire insulted him as the paper tower suddenly bent down towards Shinnosuke, the former's body sliding down, his fist extended towards his enemy's face, blood still dripping from where his pinky used to be.

Shinnosuke narrowly avoided the punch as he jumped backwards, sweat rolling down his face as his own hand clutched at his chest, his face showing signs of strain as he grunted; he panted heavily, watching as Altaire's tower of paper moved away once more, the man being at the very top.

"I guess that's a no," Shinnosuke sighed, turning his back to his opponent, "Well, I guess I have no choice, you idiot!"

Altaire's left eye twitched as his tower slowly began to sink into the floor, though when he looked down, he noticed that wasn't the case at all; as soon as he noticed, the speed immediatley increased, a loud scream emitting from his lips as his eyes stared at the enormous row of teeth below his tower.

Before he could even beg for his life, he fell into the massive row of teeth which immediatley shut as he fell; as they did this, everything went dark once more, leaving Shinnosuke laying down on the floor of the laboratory.

"That really does take a toll on my body," Shinnosuke panted heavily, running his hand over his nose to feel something cold and wet, "Damn it… well, I did my part..."

[With Josiah and the others…]

"Josiah Joestar, what do you gain from fighting me?" Himuro asked through Planet Telex, his voice curious and jarring as ever, "Surely you won't give me a poor excuse, saying it's what any normal person would do; no normal human would face death so nonchalantly, so why do you risk your life for these people?"

"Because I want to," Josiah answered rather quickly, Downplay practically guarding him, "What choice do I have? I'm scared as hell, but if no one does anything, we're all fucked, right? I refuse to let you get away with this."

"How cliché," Himuro responded, seemingly dissatisfied with his enemy's answer, "Is that all you have to say? You're trying to play the hero, and saying so many things that really hold no weight to them. Really, why do you oppose me? Why do any of you oppose me?"

"Shut up," Josiah spoke up before his comrades could, his sky blue eyes focusing entirely on the being before him, "Why do I need a good reason to fight against you? I oppose you because I want to, and I'll be damned if I let my friends down. You'll never be able to understand us humans, you pathetic piece of scrap metal!"

Dororesu suddenly tossed a bottle of water into the air, a machete suddenly forming out of it; she quickly grabbed it out of the air and charged towards Planet Telex, attempting to jab it into the Stand's chest.

Planet Telex quickly retaliated and threw two of its fists towards Dororesu; the right fist suddenly eased up, reverting back to a hand that grabbed the blade, the left fist planting itself against Dororesu's gut, the force completely stopping her in her tracks.

"Dororesu!" Warut nearly screamed as Stratovarius wrapped itself around his body even more tightly, making it as light as a feather; without a moment to waste, he attempted to fly towards Himuro himself, only for Planet Telex's leg to suddenly shoot up and embed itself against his gut as well, the force sending him onto the cold floor.

"Don't hurt them, you piece of garbage!" Josiah darted towards Planet Telex, Downplay's fist coming in contact with its face, forcing it to let go of Dororesu's gut; the strange Stand suddenly tossed its own punch at Downplay, which was stopped by the latter's second blow.

"It seems our Stands are equal in brute force," Himuro commented as both of the humanoid Stands struggled against one another, sparks forming from the sheer impact, "I shall humor you a bit more and allow you to test your strength against Planet Telex, the ultimate Stand; I have needed a worthy challenge."

"Ultimate my ass," Josiah grunted as Downplay backed away, its feet moving upward to try and kick Planet Telex in the chin, "Cowardly is a better word for it! A Stand that can control life like puddy is nothing to be proud of!"

"Once again, you let emotions dictate your actions; you're far too predictable." Himuro replied calmly as Planet Telex grabbed both of Downplay's legs, its grip seemingly strained for a moment before it threw the humanoid Stand onto the floor, cracking it slightly.

Downplay almost immediatley picked itself back up, its user panting heavily as his legs wobbled, his blue eyes filled with fury; Josiah sighed, backing up slightly as his eyes attempted to try and find something that could be of use.

"You're even more terrified than before, aren't you?" Himuro chuckled through his Stand which had its arms crossed, not a single sign of wear and tear showing on its glistening, enormous frame as its gray aura only grew larger.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Downplay's savage cries rang out through the room as its fists moved at blinding speeds, little pieces of Planet Telex chipping off as Josiah remained silent, his Stand's fists rapidly beating against the enemy's larger form.

"I did not expect that," Himuro admitted, Planet Telex holding its side in almost nauseating pain, the inverted skull staring straight at Downplay, "It seems that despite being scared, you're trying your best to ignore it. How noble of you, Joestar. I commend you."

Before Josiah moved in to strike once more, he watched as Warut and Dororesu slowly picked themselves up, large doses of pain resonating through their bodies as they looked over at him.

"We're okay," Warut grumbled, holding his gut as he looked towards his friend, "We're here to kick his ass with ya, don't forget that!"

"Hold it," a familiar monotonous voice called out to them from behind, prompting them to turn around; they looked at Latimer in disbelief, seeing that his Stand was holding Masujiro hostage, its limbs wrapped around him as blood dripped from his chest, "It is in your best interests to stop this fighting, unless you don't value your companion's life."

Josiah's eyes twitched in anger, though he didn't dare to move so he could interfere with Latimer's cowardly scheme, though he could barely utter one word.

"Bastard…"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Astrid Lucille (MODIFIED)  
Age: 24  
Stand: Rabbit Hole  
Stand Statistics  
Power - E  
Speed - A  
Durability - A  
Precision - E  
Range - A  
Development Potential - C


	15. That Computer Has A Stand! (3)

_**That Computer Has A Stand! (3)**_

January 15th, 2:00 PM.

"Are you deaf? If you make a single move that threatens Himuro, I'll put an end to your friends life," Latimer stated, pushing his glasses upward, "So stand down, before I make him experience a slow and painful death."

"Shut up, you fucker..." Masujiro murmured, his eyes weakly looking towards the group just next to Himuro Firestart, "Don't listen to him, Josiah, I can get out of this… just focus on kicking that machine's ass."

"I can't," Josiah sighed, his fists shaking as he didn't dare to look away from his companion, sweat dripping down from his head profusely, "You can't even move, how the hell are you supposed to beat him?!"

"Josiah's right," Warut grumbled, his voice shaking as he panted heavily, "We might not know you, but we can't just let ya die!"

"Dumbass, it doesn't matter what you do, he's going to kill each of us no matter what we do! My death won't matter if you stand there and do fucking nothing!" Masujiro argued, barely able to choke out his words as his body trembled, though it was unknown if it was through fear or determination.

"It seems that your other companions have succeeded in defeating Astrid and Altaire," Himuro interrupted, ignoring Masujiro has his Stand looked to the southern wall of the laboratory to see Taiga laying down, "She seems to be tired out, but… where is Altaire? I did not see a quiet space devour him."

"Guess that means one of your shitty cronies is dead and gone," Masujiro chuckled despite the blood flowing down his chest, pangs of anguish resonating throughout his lanky body, "Listen to me, damn it! Kick his ass or he might actually succeed in his fucking bat shit insane goal! Stop worrying about me, I'm fine!"

"Pathetic, you can't even move and yet you think you can win," Latimer's lips curved into a large grin, his left hand slowly pulling what seemed to be a syringe out of his left pocket, "Be still, or I might just kill you."

Dororesu's eyes widened as she looked away, her body trembling at the horrific fact that she couldn't do anything to stop this wicked man. "Goddamn it! I'm sorry, Masujiro, I can't do anything..."

"Nah, don't be," Masujiro grinned as Latimer came closer, the tip of the syringe nearly touching his neck as his own blade suddenly stretched, slicing off three of his fingers on his left hand, "My Stand is a sword, remember? Dumbass."

"I am made of steel, as I am a sword, have you forgotten, scientist?" Issues mocked his enemy as he came to stand on the laboratory floor, his hilt serving as a leg, "I do not like to use sneak attacks, but I will do whatever it takes to preserve the life of my master, do you hear me, scum?"

"Dororesu, Warut!" Josiah immediately turned to them, a small smirk forming on his sweat drenched face, "Go try and find anything that might help Masujiro and I out! Since Himuro is a supercomputer, he probably has a backup plan!"

"Good thinkin', bud!" Warut nodded his head, grabbing his daughter's hand as he sprinted towards the right door that Shinnosuke had been laying down by, his body completely unmoving aside from his short breaths.

"Huh? Oh, right! Kick his ass, Josiah!" Dororesu declared enthusiastically as she dashed away with her father, their goal now clear to her.

"Damn it!" Latimer shouted as blood oozed from his new wounds, his Stand hopping away from Masujiro's chest as it squealed in agony, "This isn't happening, you can't even move! I've won this fight!"

"This is what happens when you assume," Masujiro chuckled as his body almost lifelessly fell to the ground, "Issues, take care of him, okay? I need you to cut this motherfucker up so I can try and move, got it?"

"Will do, master!" Issues retracted for a moment, only to embed his tip into the floor so he could propel himself towards the mad scientist, "This is what you have brought upon yourself, Latimer! I pray that you will be able to find redemption in the darkest pits of hell!"

Latimer vomited blood as the tip of Issues' blade sliced through his chest, the former's glasses cracking as they fell to the floor; his body wobbled for a moment before he fell face first, becoming completely lifeless.

"Good job..." Masujiro murmured before his eyes shut, his body's tension fading as he fell unconscious, his Stand phasing out from existence as he did so; as this unfolded, it had soon made itself known to Josiah that he was the only person in the room that could fight against their main target.

"Well done," Himuro Firestart started, speaking in a strangely genuine tone as Planet Telex's hands clapped against one another, "You've defeated my forces, but do you really think that means much? Warut and Dororesu are looking for something to give you the upper hand, but your other friends are not in any condition to face me. Are you really so confident and narrow-minded that you think you can defeat me alone?"

"I don't know if I can, but I won't know unless I try," Josiah responded, his sky blue aura intensifying around him as Downplay crossed its arms, "I won't lie, I'm terrified; because I'm sure you have hundreds if not thousands of battle plans in that superior brain of yours, but I can't help but wonder… why did you let my friends just run off?"

"Because I'm not worried that they'll find anything of importance," Himuro Firestart answered, seemingly honest with his words, "Truth be told, this is all there is; you sent your friends away, so now I won't have as much trouble dealing with you, Joestar. I do have two remaining questions, however… what happened to that Sophia woman, and what really is the human spirit? I wish for my curiosity to be sated before I destroy you."

"I told you not to say her name," Josiah's voice trembled as his aura suddenly flared, the look in his eyes showing that he was beyond livid, "She died, okay? That's why I can't die here and why I won't let anyone die here! I'm going to avenge her, goddamn it, she didn't die in vain!"

"All humans die in vain," Himuro Firestart said matter-of-factly, his Stand floating near Downplay as he argued, "It's ignorant to think that one matters when they pass on, as all they do is rot in the ground; for that very reason, I wish to eliminate emotions. They have only hindered your performance this entire battle, have they not? Is this what the human spirit is, useless emotions that you claim fuel your pitiful wants? If so, I'm now confident I have made no mistakes in my plans to take humanity under my wing."

"Bullshit," Josiah almost retorted immediately, his fists clenched as a vein formed on his face, "You're full of shit! The human spirit is the desire to do the right thing, the ability to tell right from wrong! If you throw something like that away, then you're nothing but a waste of space that doesn't have a place in this world! Sophia didn't die for nothing, she saved a life in her last moments, so I refuse to hear you say it was for NOTHING!"

"Huh?" Himuro Firestart went completely silent for a moment before speaking up again, almost dumbfounded, "You… are a strange human, indeed. You're claiming that your desire to find your friend's killer empowers, yet her death is breaking you down… I don't know if I can understand such a thing."

"You won't be able to, no matter how fucking smart you might be," Josiah murmured, stepping towards Firestart as the shaking in his legs ceased, "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself for not being able to save her, but that's none of your business."

"Watch your tongue, Joestar!" Himuro Firestart cried throughout Planet Telex, which then tossed itself towards Josiah, only for Downplay to reach and grab its arms, struggling to keep it from moving any further.

"That's my line!" Josiah chuckled as Downplay twisted Planet Telex's left arm, its leg coming up to plant itself against the midsection of its suit; Planet Telex flinched for a mere moment before its fist collided with the right side of Downplay's head.

 _He's loosened up, it seems… this Joestar has the ability to reset himself back to his previous condition, so it may prove to be a smart move if I disable his right hand._ Himuro Firestart thought to himself as his Stand suddenly changed direction; instead of moving towards Downplay's head, his fist beat itself against the Stand's right hand repeatedly.

"The fuck?!" Josiah grunted as he jumped back, his right hand cracking as a sharp pain coursed through it, "Did he break my right hand? It's true that if my right hand is broken, Downplay won't be able to use his ability..."

"Have I broken that so-called spirit of yours yet, Josiah Joestar?" Planet Telex cracked its knuckles, its empty eye sockets staring at Josiah, who had been observing his now shattered right hand.

"The human spirit," Josiah began, walking forward as Downplay suddenly rushed towards Planet Telex, its left fist twisting in its enemy's gut, "Isn't something that can be calculated or hindered by a cheap trick!"

"You still won't stand down, you stubborn fool?! How is there any way you can hope defeat me without your reset ability, if I harm you greatly, you can't revert the damage done!" Himuro Firestart declared as Planet Telex grunted, attempting to pull out Downplay's fist, only for a second blow to meet with its helmet as soon as the fist pulled out, an ugly crack forming on it.

"I never planned on using it in the first place, bastard!" Josiah replied as his Stand retreated, the wires on its fingers dangling as its user panted, still wincing in pain from just how hard it was to even move his broken hand.

"I believe I have to take desperate measures now..." Himuro Firestart murmured as Planet Telex extended both of its fists; before long, they began to spark and light up, a low chuckle emitting from the cracked helmet.

[With Warut and Dororesu…]

The father and daughter had roamed around in the seemingly endless darkness until one of them managed to flip a light switch, revealing to them a rather dull room, despite the contents being somewhat disturbing to them.

The room had to be about half the size of the laboratory, with several medical tables laid out across it; though, on the tables were quite a few unconscious men and women, every one of them having a strange screw on each side of their head.

"What the fuck?" Warut nearly yelled, though he managed to just barely keep his voice down, "What the hell are all these people doing here?"

"They're probably test subjects," Dororesu commented quietly, not daring to move as her eyes observed their unmoving bodies, "Firestart said he wanted to bend humans to his will, right? This is probably a small army he was working on."

"What should we do? I think Irene might wanna see this, but it's not like we can contact her." Warut said, rubbing his chin as he continued to stare at the bodies, somewhat unnerved at how still and lifeless they seemed.

"There's no other way to go, and we don't know what these guys might do if we wake them up," Dororesu murmured to her father, turning to where they came from, "Let's go back and head to the right, there's probably something over there. Hell, Josiah probably needs our help."

"Yeah, you have a good point," Warut responded quietly before heading back where they came from, his dark fog still wrapped around his muscular body, "I hope he's alright."

[Back with Josiah…]

Planet Telex suddenly planted all ten of its gloved fingers firmly into the laboratory ground, the power surging through its arms and hands allowing to quickly rip out a rather large chunk of concrete out from it.

"Josiah Joestar, I'll just have to crush you!" Himuro Firestart declared in its jarring voice as Planet Telex approached; within seconds it jumped into the air to throw the massive hunk of stone onto Josiah, who was all but prepared to handle it as the enemy Stand repeatedly struck it with its fists.

"Oh god… ha..." Josiah panted as Downplay jumped in front of him, its fist attempting to hold the chunk of concrete in stasis, but to no avail; one hand was simply not enough to hold off Planet Telex's raw power.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Downplay's furious cry boomed throughout the laboratory as its single fist crashed against the stone again and again, each blow slightly stronger than the last; the stone remnants would start to hit Josiah at high speeds, though he was sure this was not the worst of it.

As the chunk of concrete chipped away rapidly, Planet Telex's fist eventually came in contact with Downplay's metallic body; without being able to retaliate, Josiah nearly screamed in agony as Planet Telex's heavy fists buried themselves into his body again and again, sending him crashing into the floor.

Josiah panted heavily, not quite unconscious as he attempted to pull himself back up; he swore he could feel his body begging for him to stay down, but it seemed like his better judgment would not allow such a thing.

He stared down at the floor, blood dripping from his face as he attempted to walk towards Planet Telex, only to nearly stumble and fall; this resulted in a happy chuckle from Himuro Firestart, which soon evolved into a loud, almost maniacal laugh.

"Josiah Joestar, I have won!" He declared as his enemy leaned against the wall, feeling as if his bones were going to crack apart at any moment; he knew that if he didn't continue to try, he was going to fall unconscious.

"I can't let this happen," Josiah murmured, grunting in anguish as his broken hand twitched, "I won't let it happen… Warut, Dororesu, please, hurry up! I think I've made a fatal mistake… at this rate, if I don't do something fast, I might die..."

As he spoke, he wiped fresh blood from his nose; his weak body suddenly fell to one knee, one of his sky blue eyes shaking as it stared up at the enemy, unsure if it was fear he was feeling, or if it was something entirely different.

"Josiah Joestar, you have lost!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Altaire Vicente  
Age: 23  
Stand: Molly  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - B  
Range - C  
Precision - C  
Durability - B  
Development Potential - E


	16. That Computer Has A Stand! (4)

_**That Computer Has A Stand! (4)**_

March 14th, 2031. 12:30 PM.

"So, you're Joseph Shmoestar, right? Our new employee?" Kosei asked, spit falling from his chin as he nearly yelled, one of his greasy hands holding what appeared to be a resume; Josiah felt as if he was going to suffocate due to the sheer heat inside of the rather bland office, but he only sighed.

"Uh, my name is Josiah Joestar," Josiah responded, attempting to hide the fact that he was fairly irritated that his new supervisor had already forgotten his name, "Yeah, I am. Is there anything I need to know about the job? Or were the other workers right, all I do is manage documents?"

"They're pretty much right," Kosei answered, his voice slowly moving into a murmur, "Also, between you an' me, are you American? I'm not gonna, like, fire you for that, but… summa the other employees might not like you."

"I'm half-American, half-Japanese," Josiah said in a sigh, not too worried if his supervisor was telling the truth or not, "I was born in America, but I moved to Japan when I was sixteen. Is that all you need to know?"

"Oh, so a foreigner," Kosei ran his fingers through his thick beard, several ambiguous crumbs of food falling out from it messily, "Uh, only a few more things… we have partners here that help each other manage their work load; you'll be working with Sophia Milena, she's new as well. Lastly, you seem like a nice kid, so I'm expecting a lot of you, Shmoestar!"

"It's… it's Joestar," Josiah scooted out from the uncomfortable steel chair and turned back towards the door, "Oh, what's that Sophia girl look like? I just don't want to get her confused with someone else, you know?"

"Oh, right!" Kosei's spit flew from his mouth, splatting against Josiah's suit, "Uh, let's see.. she's American, she has really long black hair, and I'm pretty sure she never stops smiling. She's also way shorter than you, I'd say she's five foot four."

"Alright, thank you." Josiah nodded his head before wiping his supervisor's spit off from his shirt, his hand slowly turning the knob; he walked out from the insanely hot office, feeling as if his own breath could not exit his body.

It only took a moment, but Josiah managed to find two desks that were side by side, and his name was labeled on the one to the left; though the desk next to it had a woman that fit the description that Kosei had given to him.

"Hi there," Josiah spoke rather softly as he slipped into his uncomfortable chair, "I'm Josiah Joestar, and Kosei told me we'll be working together from now on. It's nice to meet you!"

Sophia's hair bounced against her back as she turned to him, a warm smile on her face as she quickly took his hand, shaking it rather quickly. "It's wonderful to meet you, too! I'm Sophia Milena, I hope we can get along and maybe even be friends!"

Josiah was rather surprised for a few moments, but returned the handshake. "Wow, Kosei was right! You're a really cheerful person."

"Mhm! I don't have any reason to not be happy!" Sophia tilted her head after letting go of his hand, laughing a little before turning back to her computer screen, "We just gotta send a few files to Kosei and we'll be fine for about half an hour! Would you like to chat while we work?"

"Oh, sure!" Josiah replied, feeling upbeat simply from the positive energy flowing around this woman; he smiled, unable to focus on the terrible heat while they talked and talked.

[One week passes…]

March 21st, 2031. 6:30 PM.

"Hey, Josiah! Are we still hanging out tonight?" Sophia whined as she leaned against the entrance to her friend's apartment, "You haven't answered your phone, so I wanted to know if you're okay!"

"Huh?" Josiah looked up from his couch, nearly jumping out of his own skin as his blue eyes focused on his friend. "Oh, sorry, I was napping… work was really boring."

"Geez, it wasn't _that_ bad," Sophia skipped over to him rather quickly, both of her hands tugging on his left arm incessantly, "C'mon, you said we were gonna go get a bite to eat and maybe catch a movie! C'mon, c'mon!"

"Fine, but shouldn't I change out of my work clothes first? And maybe take a shower…" Josiah murmured as he slowly but surely pried himself out from his sofa, one of his hands placed over his mouth as he yawned loudly.

"Just change and put on some deodorant, you don't look that greasy!" Sophia suggested, bouncing up and down on his floor rather excitedly, "C'mon, hurry!"

"Okay, okay!" Josiah quickly walked into another room, leaving Sophia to lean against the wall of his main room, shaking erratically in excitement.

[Five minutes pass…]

Josiah walked back into his living room with a black v-neck t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, his black sneakers resting on his feet; sighing, he snapped his fingers towards Sophia, who almost squealed in relief.

"Alright, I'm as casual as possible, so let's go." Josiah said with a warm smile, though his eyes went wide as Sophia suddenly grabbed onto one of his hands, promptly dragging him out from his apartment, with a large grin on her bright face.

[Twenty minutes pass…]

Josiah and Sophia sat directly across from one another, the former having decided to go to a close-by McDonald's restaurant, thinking that it would be quick and simple to get in and out, so they would have a lot more time to do whatever.

"So uh, I'm wondering something," Josiah started, cleanly wiping his mouth with a napkin, "It might seem kind of weird, so I'm sorry; but why are you so happy all the time? I've never seen you upset at anyone or even a little irritated."

"I'm asked that a lot," Sophia muffled before swallowing a piece of her cheeseburger, a warm smile on her face, "Sure, the world might be a really crappy place sometimes, but that doesn't mean I should give in and feel crappy like everyone else; if anything, I should try to be as happy as possible, so I can try and spread my positivity to everyone else around me."

"That's… really sweet," Josiah smiled, his head looking down at his pile of french fries, "I've never heard anything like that before, but you should know it definitely works. I don't think I've ever been so motivated; hell, even when I feel down, you somehow get me to go out and have fun. So, thank you."

"Oh, uh, thank you!" Sophia bowed her head as a warm blush spread across her face, a small giggle emitting from her lips, "That means a lot… but, um, I have a question too! Have you ever heard of this really cool manga called Special of Pink? If it rings any bells, it's illustrated by this guy called Shinnosuke! That's his pen name, of course, but his art is amazing!"

"Huh? I think I've seen it on a few shelves," Josiah wouldn't outright say it, but the sudden topic change was a little jarring, "What's the manga like? I might have to pick it up."

"Well, it's not something most people expect," Sophia began, resting her elbows on the table as she leaned closer, "It's a romantic comedy, but the style is like it came right out of a horror manga! Most people don't like it, but I think it's really cool! People need to try new things, or life will get boring! I can lend you a few copies of it, if you want."

"Oh, sure! I'm really interested," Josiah slipped a french fry into his mouth, admittedly very curious, "Can you tell me more about it without spoiling anything?"

"Of course!"

[Back in the present…]

January 15th, 2:10 PM.

"Josiah Joestar," Himuro Firestart's jarring voice boomed as Planet Telex approached, its metallic grey aura spiking as it rose a single hand, "You have now lost! Die!"

"ORA!" Downplay cried as it threw a fist towards Planet Telex's hand while it came down towards its user's head, effectively stopping it; while Himuro was still caught off guard, Downplay retracted its fist and planted it across Planet Telex's helmet, sending him back several feet.

"You don't get to decide if I've lost, bastard!" Josiah clenched his left hand into a fist, his legs suddenly picking up speed as he ran towards Planet Telex, "What gave you the stupid idea that I planned on giving up?!"

"Your persistence is proving to be annoying!" Himuro Firestart declared as his Stand held out both of its balled up hands, prepared to barrage the enemy Stand; however, Downplay managed to grab one of its hands, squeezing it harder and harder with every passing second.

"I'll do whatever as long as it pisses you off!" Josiah's voice was strangely brimming with life, a small smirk slowly forming on his face as Downplay took a hit to the gut; it quickly reacted by raising up one of its legs, hammering it against the enemy's abdomen.

"Guh!" Planet Telex retracted itself from Downplay, a piece of the armor from the suit slowly cracking off as its user nearly howled in pain, "Why do you keep persisting? I cannot understand why you choose to fight! You could have accepted an easy death!"

"It's like I said," Josiah growled as Downplay clenched its fist, tossing it towards the unarmored spot of Planet Telex's body, "The human spirit can't be calculated!"

Without hesitating for even a moment, Downplay's fist pushed through Planet Telex's abdomen; within mere moments, the former's fist exited out from the other end of Planet Telex, its body sparking with electricity as if it was trying to accumulate power, but to no avail.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Downplay's furious cries rang throughout the laboratory as it and Josiah charged closer towards Himuro Firestart, the Stand's fists colliding against Planet Telex's body again and again, several chunks of its body flying off as it crashed into the wall left of its own user.

"I don't understand! I can't understand! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Himuro Firestart let out a very guttural scream from his Stand as Downplay's fists broke through the supercomputer's metal exterior, pieces of its shell and bits of wire flying into the air from the sheer impact.

As Downplay's barrage ended, Planet Telex suddenly exploded into nothingness, the lights emitting from Himuro Firestart fading as the last of his body was punched to smithereens, its cries coming to an end as Downplay phased back into Josiah's body.

"I did it..." Josiah panted heavily as he clutched his chest, his body falling to the steel floor with a loud thud; it only took a moment for his body to completely ease up, his breath becoming more and more calm.

[Thirty minutes pass…]

It didn't take too long for Irene to show up with multiple workers from the Speedwagon Foundation, who had taken the liberty of taking care of the fighters to the best of their ability, though a few of them had been investigating the area as well.

Josiah sat on the cold steel floor, the blood on his face cleaned up; right next to him was Masujiro with his arm on his knee, a small smirk on his face as Issues phased back into existence.

"So, you are Josiah Joestar, correct? You have done wonderful, but I have a question!" Issues announced, his clear but loud voice making itself known to all in the room, "Since Dion Brando inhabited the body of Jorge Joestar, and since my master is Dion's son, does that not make you brothers in some way?"

"Well," Josiah began, scratching the back of his head nervously with his left hand, "I guess that's right, but I'm not too surprised. We both have pretty bad problems with our mothers… after all of this, I'm not too shocked."

"Preach," Masujiro responded, sighing as he ran his hand over the bandages across his chest, "Ugh, moving around is gonna be such a fuckin' hassle for a few weeks… y'know, I don't wanna get all sweet or anything, but you did damn good."

"Thanks," Josiah said, chuckling lowly before looking over to the rest of his friends who had not been as injured as him, "But, I couldn't have done it without all of you; I didn't do this, we did, together."

"What a sap!" Masujiro laughed a little before shutting his eyes, crossing his arms as he sat back, intending to fall back asleep.

"You alright, guys? Sorry I didn't do much, Josiah wanted us to look for something that could help him," Warut apologized, a slight hint of shame in his eyes, "We didn't find much, but yeah. I wish I helped one of you instead."

"Don't be sorry," Taiga responded, resting her prosthetic hand on the bulky man's shoulder, a bright smile on her face as she looked up at him, "Astrid only nearly melted my arm off, it's all good! No need to worry about me!"

"Taiga, come on, you're fine!" Shinnosuke interjected, attempting to calm her down from her use of sarcasm, "It's fine, Warut, really! We were able to handle ourselves! Besides, Josiah would probably be too worried if we were all fighting Himuro at the same time! It would be mass confusion."

"He's right, dad," Dororesu agreed, nodding her head as she rested against him, "We didn't fight much, but we were able to find a few things that might help in getting all these people back to their families, or at the least, back to their normal lives."

"Okay guys," Irene interrupted before much else could be said, prompting everyone to look towards her as she stepped into the middle of the room, "We'll be getting you all to the nearest hospital for a few check-ups! Some of you need more, so we'll get to that; I'll be sure to tell you of my findings once we finish up our investigation here, so in the meantime, I'll have a few of my co-workers get you some help."

"You always come at the worst times," Josiah mumbled under his breath as he picked himself up, wincing in pain as his broken hand hit the wall, "Ugh… alright, let's go."

"Hey, Josiah!" Irene called out to him, his eyes slowly looking over to his mother who had then gave him a small thumbs up, "You did a damn good job, son. I'll fight by your side next time; I promise I'll tell you what I was so busy with after all this is over with."

"Uh.. y-yeah, you better." Josiah stammered as he looked away from his mother, his legs dragging him over to his friends who had invited him with open arms, leaving Masujiro to lean against the wall with a small smirk on his face.

"I don't think I've seen such a bizarre group of people, y'know, Issues?" Masujiro whispered to himself before walking over to his comrades, his hand clutching the bandages around his injured chest.

[Several hours later, elsewhere…]

"Well, don't you look lost?" Akiko's voice penetrated Damon's ears, her volume low as he turned around to see her; he didn't show any signs of fear, not even flinching as he looked to her, almost bored.

"Aren't you that Akiko Mikami woman who the cops are looking for?" Damon asked, sighing as Love & Meth suddenly phased out from his body, "What do you want? Do I have to run you off, or even maybe correct you?"

"Oh, you have a Stand too? This is interesting… and you're not even scared of me!" Akiko's almost hauntingly low mumbling was suddenly filled with cheer, her own Stand phasing out of her body, "What's your name? You seem like a rather interesting man!"

"So the infamous Akiko Mikami has a Stand? Hm… know what, I'll tell you my name if you can make a deal with me," Damon began, both of his hands moving into the pockets of his wrinkled dress pants, "Will you hear me out?"

"Sure." Akiko responded nonchalantly, one of her hands slowly bringing down her surgical mask to reveal her Glasgow smile, "Am I pretty, though?"

"Very," Damon replied very calmly and smoothly, "I wish for your help in exterminating some vermin that have stolen something very important from me; I only know what they look like, so it might be a bit troubling. What do I need to do for you?"

"All you had to say is that I get to kill a few people," Akiko said, her Stand phasing back into her body as she walked towards Damon, "I'm in. So what's your name, mystery man? I'd like to know the name of a fellow killer."

"Fellow killer? How crude. My name is Damon Lustbader, and it is an absolute delight to work with you, Miss Mikami."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Himuro Firestart  
Age: ?  
Stand: Planet Telex  
Stand Statistics  
Destructive Power: A  
Speed: C  
Range: A (Approximately the entire vicinity of Osaka, Japan.)  
Durability: C  
Precision - A  
Developmental Potential: A


	17. A Fan Of The Classics!

_**A Fan Of The Classics!**_

February 5th, 10:00 AM.

"Alright, Josiah, your hand is healing slowly but it should be back to normal in just a few more weeks," the doctor's soft spoken voice soothed Josiah's ears, his head pressed into the arm of his sofa, "You're lucky you're Irene's son, we have a top of the line medical team. Heh, the Speedwagon Foundation really is something, isn't it?"

"Yeah, thank you," Josiah murmured, a warm blush spread across his face as he turned his head away from the man, "How's everyone else holding up? I'm really worried about Shinnosuke and Masujiro, so I'd like to know how that's going."

"Right, right," the doctor nodded before stepping away from Josiah, his voice calm and quiet, "Shinnosuke is okay, though he's quite a worry wart… we're unsure of what caused it, but he had quite a few chest pains for around a week; Masujiro is okay, his wounds are almost completely healed, though he barely lets us treat him properly. He's such a stubborn boy."

"He seems like the type that would do that," Josiah responded, turning his face back over to the doctor with a relieved sigh, "Well, I'm glad everyone's okay. Was there anything else you needed to tell me, doc?"

"Oh, yes, I nearly forgot," the doctor nodded, his calm demeanor suddenly shifting to a rather serious one, "Irene and Gustavo have met, and have located Ryouta, the man that your friend Sophia saved last month. He will be coming by your apartment in a few hours to discuss matters with you, and he will be accompanied by Irene. I'm sorry for informing you on such short notice."

"Huh? Wait, why is this all just suddenly happening? What are we gonna be talking about?" Josiah asked as he propped himself up, his left eye twitching in pain as he felt his hand throb in its cast, "Did they find a lead?"

"You will be discussing Akiko Mikami and all that they know about her," the doctor answered, a clear honesty in his tone, "She also plans on telling you about another person she finds extremely dangerous, though we don't know his name yet. Irene wishes to keep the information within your group of Stand users, so no one will be able to warn her; it is unlikely that anyone is working for her, but we can't take any risks."

"I understand," Josiah nodded as he frowned, allowing himself to sink back into his sofa, "Alright, thank you. This means a lot."

"Don't sweat it, it's my job!" The doctor gave him an enthusiastic nod before pulling up a small leather bag off the floor, his feet pulling him over to the door, but he turned around for a moment. "I almost forgot, we've managed to retrieve the bow and arrow, so don't worry about it too much!"

"Oh, thanks for telling me, doc! You have a nice day!"

[Two hours pass…]

"So, you're Josiah Joestar," Ryouta suddenly bowed, his arms close to his sides as his voice began to shake slightly, "I'm very sorry that I couldn't do anything to save Sophia."

"It's fine, it was her decision to save you. If she wanted you to save her, she would have said something; trust me, I knew her way longer than anyone ever did," Josiah gave him a reassuring pat on his back, a hint of empathy hidden in his warm tone, "So, mom, Ryouta, what do you know?"

"Her Stand name is The Plot In You," Irene stated in a rather monotonous voice, one of her legs crossed over the other, "All we know is that it has great physical brawn, maybe even stronger than Stone Free; it's able to cut into thin air and make a portal of some kind. We don't know where it leads, though."

"I can at least say that her Stand was able to easily overpower me within a few seconds," Ryouta said, attempting to keep a calm demeanor despite the way his voice shook, "She was a very active serial killer for a few years before being caught."

"I'm not sure if she formed her Stand in prison or not, otherwise, I'm not sure why she'd stay imprisoned for six months," Irene sounded fairly unsure, though continued, "Her first victim was her own husband, and since then she's killed six other men, five women, and… thirty nine children."

"Sick fuck," Josiah grunted, staring down at his apartment's floor as his body shook slightly, "Going after helpless kids… she's killed over fifty people, how have you not found her yet, mom?!"

"Calm down, Gustavo said he'd wait to find her until everyone was healed up! We can't risk anything, so we need to take our time; besides, I doubt she'll be leaving Osaka any time soon." Irene assured him, slipping a hand over her son's shoulder.

"Yeah, but..." Josiah gave her a dissatisfied sigh, turning his head away from his mother as if he was a twelve year old, "Fine, I get it. I guess that's all we know about her, then… before we go on, Ryouta, I think you shouldn't be involved with any of this from now on."

"Huh? Why not?" Ryouta's eyes went wide with surprise, nearly shouting into Josiah's ears as he stood up, clearly put off by this man's request.

"You have no reason to get yourself killed," Josiah said bluntly, staring straight at him as he leaned onto the arm of the sofa, "Sophia wanted you to stay safe, so I want you to respect that. Do you understand?"

"But, I… you're not wrong," Ryouta acknowledged his point, sitting back down onto his sofa, "Alright, I understand."

"Thank you, Ryouta," Irene interrupted before yawning briefly, "Alright, what we found in Firestart's lab is worrying to say the least; it does turn out he was planning on making an army of Stand users that would completely obey him. You're all lucky you found him when you did, or Osaka might have been a wasteland by now."

"Holy shit, we were lucky!" Josiah clutched his chest for a moment, the news of this reaching him freaking him out slightly, "I don't think we can ever be this lucky again… was there anything else there, though? Like back up data?"

"There was nothing else, we interrogated Astrid to make sure of that," Irene replied, a small smile forming on her face, "There was no back up data of any kind, which is odd; this probably just means he was incredibly confident in himself. Nothing could have beaten a Joestar, though."

"Is that your way of saying I'm a good kid?" Josiah teased, chuckling lowly before shrugging, "I was really close to dying, but I knew I couldn't let that happen. If I gave up then, how could I ever have expected to see Firestart defeated?"

"You're damn right, and I'm proud of you," Irene confessed, giving her son a bright smile, "That only leaves one more person to talk about… I was gone during the fight because of this guy, but he attacked Masujiro and me at the mall. We're almost one hundred percent sure he killed someone, but we have no evidence; what we do know is that he has a Stand, and we have his wallet. Sadly for us, it has multiple IDs, so it's going to be a bit of work to find out his name. Here's a picture of him."

Irene reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a small picture, handing it over to Josiah; he had somewhat long black hair with gray streaks running through it, the sides of it shaved, and it seemed that he dressed rather formally despite all the wrinkles in his shirt.

"He looks like a normal guy," Josiah commented, rubbing his chin as his eyes scanned over the photograph, "But I guess what's what makes it so creepy; I'll keep my eyes peeled, alright?"

"Okay, thank you," Irene nodded before taking the photograph back, quickly tucking it back into her shirt pocket, "Be sure to tell the others; I'm going to be heading back to headquarters, so call me if you find anything of interest. Come on, Ryouta."

"Got it," Josiah responded, allowing his body to lay back down onto his sofa as the other two stood up and began to head for the door, "Thanks, both of you."

"Of course." Ryouta nodded before exiting with Irene, the latter only giving her son a thumbs up as the former shut the door behind him, leaving Josiah completely alone once more.

"Sure wish my stupid hand would heal," Josiah murmured to himself as he stared up at his ceiling, one hand on top of the other as he laid across his sofa, "I really need to stop getting into so much trouble..."

[Elsewhere, seven hours later…]

Aroma Borealis Bar, Eastern Osaka. 7:00 PM.

After all of the commotion that Firestart had caused, Dororesu decided to hang around a bar she had heard of just a few days ago; it had a good reputation, so her expectations were a bit higher than usual.

"What's with the name of this place, bartender? Does it have some weird meaning behind it?" Dororesu asked as she set her glass of whiskey onto the wooden bar; behind the counter was a fairy tall woman standing at 5'11, her short red hair barely hitting her neck. She had been wearing a brown vest with a white dress shirt and a black tie underneath it, her lower half covered by a pair of black dress pants and leather shoes.

"You can just call me Vera," She responded casually, carefully rubbing a washcloth around a tiny shot glass, "Well… I wanted the name to make the bar sound like it was a national treasure, or even a world wonder, while combining a pleasant word with it. I think it works, I get quite a bit of business during the day."

"It's a really slow night, then, huh?" Dororesu taunted as she picked up her glass once more, pressing it to her lips as her eyes roamed around, noticing that there was barely anyone inside the bar aside from her, Vera, and smaller woman in the corner who seemed to be tossing darts.  
"Yeah," Vera shrugged, slipping the now clean shot glass onto the counter behind her, "Did you hear about the news regarding the shooting at the mall last month? The man behind it claims he had no control over his body when he shot the other guy. The police are deeming him as being mentally unstable… it's still so odd that so many terrifying things are happening lately."

"Huh? Like what?" Dororesu asked, admittedly curious as she put her half-empty glass to the side, her hands folded underneath her chin as she leaned forward.

"Right outside the mall, they found a man who supposedly killed himself in broad daylight," Vera added, starting to clean a second shot glass as she spoke, "Osaka feels a lot more creepy than it used to, doesn't it?"

"Creepy? My ass!" A slurred and shrill voice yelled over at the two, prompting them to look over to see the shorter woman, her light blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders as she stumbled over to them. "Juss' means we gotta beef up and fight, right?"

"Amber," Vera sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance, "Go lay down, you're drunk… sorry, this is a friend of mine. She usually doesn't get drunk like this..."

"Shut up and listen to me, dammit!" Amber demanded as she slammed a fist onto the bar counter, her body slumping over it as she groaned. "Why don't we jus' take the fight to them? There's somethin' goin' on behind the scenes, and I won't stand for it! This is my town, dammit!"

"Uh, Vera's right," Dororesu slid her drink to the side, slowly standing up as she extended a hand to the woman, "Do you need help? You're pretty out of it."

"Fuck off!" Amber nearly screamed as a strange figure phased out from her body, the entirety of it standing at six feet and eight inches, its body being fairly slim and a sky blue color, and on its head had been three open eyes.

Suddenly, the figure bolted forward with one of its fists extended towards Dororesu's face; quickly, the latter grabbed her glass of whiskey and tossed it into the air, allowing a somewhat thin machete to form out of it as the glass disintegrated.

Dororesu quickly snatched the blade out of the air, pressing it against the Stand's incoming fist, managing to just barely stop it from moving forward; the figure jumped back and stood next to Amber, who was panting heavily.

"Well, uh," Vera scratched the side of her head before sliding over the bar, placing herself in front of the two, "Weird coincidence, huh? I guess you have powers just like Amber and I."

"Yeah, I see that!" Dororesu shouted irritatedly, not daring to move even an inch, "Why the hell is she attacking me? I only wanted to help!"

"Do you hear that, Amber? She only wants to help you!" Vera declared, a strange figure slowly starting to phase out from her body as Amber only shook her head, her Stand copying her movements.

"I don't need no help, not from someone that trashy! Vera, let Hawthorne Heights take care of this dumbass… urgh..." Amber nearly slumped over a wooden chair, her body wobbling incessantly as her Stand phased in and out.

"Okay, let's get you to bed, Amber." Vera said as she walked over to her friend, attempting to pick her up; suddenly, Hawthorne Heights tossed a fist at Vera, though a black and white fist extended from her own, blocking the punch.

"Uh, Vera, what do we do? If we don't knock her out she might end up hurting both of us!" Dororesu claimed as she slowly approached Amber, her machete held tightly in her grip.

"She won't do any serious damage, don't worry. I've dealt with her before! Classic Jack!" Vera exclaimed as a Stand phased out of her body as well; it had been at least three inches shorter than her, and it wore the same attire. Its entire body was in black and white like an old television show, its legs exceptionally long. Its face had no features aside from two empty yellow eyes and a large nose.

"Uh, um, kick 'er ass!" Amber stammered as Hawthorne Heights pointed one of its palms at Dororesu, and a sudden beam of light shot out from it; before Dororesu could even dodge, she felt the beam of light embed itself into her neck, which then formed a circle that resembled a burn mark.

"The hell?!" Dororesu touched the strange mark, though it seemed as if it was harmless, aside from the slow burning that seemed to seep into her flesh. "What the fuck is going on? My neck is burning but I don't see anything!"

Vera's Stand hopped into the air for a mere moment before bashing its feet against Hawthorne Heights' body, leaving several imprints in the shape of its feet; before landing next to its user, it quickly spun around and landed another kick on the back of its head, though Hawthorne Heights barely flinched.

"Her Stand can send a burning sensation through your body that grows with time, so we have to knock her out before it gets too much! Classic Jack, my Stand… well, you'll see! Try to find something that can help us!" Vera declared as she jumped away from Amber, who had attempted to swing at her mouth.

As the smoldering feeling stayed ingrained into Dororesu's neck, she quickly looked back to the bar and ran, her eyes widening as she noticed that there were several bottles, each containing a different brand of liquor.

"Vera, I'm breaking a few of your bottles!" Dororesu took her machete and chopped through at least a dozen of the liquor bottles, allowing it to spill out; though she quietly focused and felt the alcohol slowly form into a zweihander.

Dororesu quickly clutched it with both of her hands before running over to a wooden table, the blade's supernatural strengh due to being a Stand, implemented enough force to rip the seat out of the floor.

She did not dare lose focus as her blade quickly cut it in two, and within just a few seconds, she swung the zweihander at each piece, each of them now flying towards Amber's body.

Amber narrowly dodged one of them, though it was purely out of dumb luck as she dodged a kick from Classic Jack; the second half of the table, however, crashed against the left side of her body, causing her to scream.

"Good work! I'll make sure to finish her off now that she's distracted!" Vera declared as Classic Jack's eyes suddenly glowed, though it was only for a moment; all of the foot shaped imprints on her body suddenly faded, though her eyes went wide.

"FUCK!" She screamed in anguish before falling onto her back, her body landing on the wooden floor of the bar as her Stand faded back into her body.

"Of all the weird shit that's happened," Dororesu started, panting as her zweihander phased out of existence, "That was the most unexpected weird shit I've seen all week."

"Tell me about it," Vera murmured as she picked up Amber like she was her bride, her Stand phasing back into her body, "I'm going to go ahead and close down early, so c'mon. Thanks for all the help, I'll give you a free drink or two the next time you come over."

"Oh, thanks! I'll be sure to pester you for more!" Dororesu teased as she opened up the door to the bar, her hands in her pockets as she walked out into the night.

[Five hours later, in a stranger's home…]

February 6th, 12:15 AM.

"AAAAA!" A woman screamed, waking up in a hot sweat as she pulled her body out of her rather large bed, her black hair drenched as it fell to her shoulders in a complete tangled mess.

"Jin? What's wrong, honey?" A low, appealing voice whispered into her ear, though it was quite hard to see her lover; Nico Andreaccio wrapped his arms around her tightly, his head nestling in the crook of her neck.

"I, um… I had the nightmare where you died again." Jin murmured rather nervously, though she could barely help herself as a warm blush spread out across her face, despite being unable to see him at the moment.

"Don't worry, remember? You're the mighty Jin Kovich and I'm Nico Andreaccio," he whispered into her ear before giving her a small peck on the side of her head lovingly, "We're unstoppable together, remember? We're always gonna protect each other, so there's no way in hell I'd ever die and leave you all alone."

"Right," Jin replied, her voice shaking as she sank back into the bed, her body still facing away from him, "Sorry, Nico. I hope that didn't annoy you."

"Not at all," Nico said confidently, one of his hands running through her black hair despite all the tangles, "You can rest easy. I love you, okay?"

"Okay… I love you too."

[An hour later, at Osaka's airport…]

"Welcome to Osaka, Mr. Kubrick! We hope you enjoy your stay!"

"Thanks." Clark Kubrick stepped away from the exit of the air port, his beige military jacket fluttering in the wind, revealing the plain white t-shirt underneath; he wore a pair of ruffled brown military pants as well, underneath a set of yellow shoes. His face was rather smooth despite the wrinkles, his hair being short and gray but messy and on his face was a short and scraggly beard that connected with his mustache.

It only took thirty minutes for Clark to walk through the city of Osaka at night, one of his hands tucked into his pockets and one carrying a briefcase; he didn't change his facial expression, which seemed to be a constant frown, or maybe he was simply lost in thought.

He finally arrived at his hotel room, which was rather small and basic; he had a small kitchen, a little leather chair, and a bed that could only fit one person, but he couldn't forget the television in the corner.

Clark slid his rather muscular body into the chair, setting his heavy briefcase next to it as he sat back, sliding one hand over the other.

"I'm coming for you, you little bastard."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Vera Scarlet  
Age: 28  
Stand: Classic Jack  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - B  
Range - E  
Durability – C  
Precision - C  
Development Potential - D


	18. The Fire Is Growing

_**The Fire Is Growing**_

February 6th, 2:30 PM.

"Hello?" Shinnosuke pressed his cell phone against his left ear as he slipped two quarters into a vending machine, his free hand pressing a button that said 'C.C. Lemon', "Oh, hey Josiah! Is something wrong?"

"Not really," Josiah responded, though he sounded as if he was unsure, "But I need you to come over in about five or six hours, alright? Irene told me everything that she and the Speedwagon Foundation were able to find out some stuff about Firestart's lab, and we have an idea of what Akiko's Stand is like. There's going to be some new info when you get here, so be sure to hurry."

"Oh, uh, alright," Shinnosuke bent down and grabbed his drink, slipping it into his right jacket pocket as he turned away from the machine, "Was there anything else? I wanted to talk about something…"

"Hm? Go ahead, Shinnosuke, I'm not going anywhere!" Josiah sounded rather cheerful suddenly, his friend thinking that it was possibly for his own sake, so he would not worry about his current physical state.

"Well, uh," Shinnosuke scratched the side of his head, drops of sweat falling from his head as he took a deep breath, "I wanted to let you know that you're my best friend, okay? I know this is coming out of left field, but, the whole Firestart situation had me worried. It worries me when you get reckless, so, you should know that you mean a lot to me, okay?"

"Shinnosuke," Josiah started, his voice lowering somewhat, "I understand; you're my best friend too, and I know what you mean. I'll try to be less reckless if it makes you stop worrying so much."

"Thank you! Really, that means the world to me!" Shinnosuke's sudden eagerness was a bit of a shock to Josiah, though he only embraced it, as this was such a rare emotion to hear from his dear friend, "I'll see you in a few hours then, okay?"

"Alright, Shinnosuke! Talk to you later!" Without speaking another word, Josiah ended the call without a moment to spare.

"Okay, time to go buy some groceries," Shinnosuke murmured to himself before turning around, though he nearly fell flat on his rear as he came in contact with someone else, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to run into you!"

"Eh? It's fine, don't worry," The man spoke smoothly, his eyes staring straight at Shinnosuke who had just managed to get a good look at him; to Shinnosuke, he would look like any normal man, though some of his friends would say otherwise, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," Shinnosuke's eyes focused, sighing as he backed away from Damon, "Anyone else might have gotten really mad at me, so this is a pleasant surprise."

"Of course, life is too short to be mad over petty things," Damon spoke calmly, one of his hands in his pants pocket and the other one holding a plastic bag of groceries, "Say, you look familiar… I feel as though I've seen your face in a magazine or something."  
"Well, I have done a few interviews," Shinnosuke scratched the back of his head out of nervousness, chuckling lightly, "I'm the illustrator for Special of Pink, Shinnosuke! That's just my pen name though, so you can call me Terunosuke."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Terunosuke," Damon bowed respectfully, his hand on his chest as if he was greeting someone of royalty, "My name is Stephen Chadwick."

"Oh, that's an English name, right? So you're not from here?" Shinnosuke asked, curious as he shivered slightly, "Can we find somewhere to sit down, please? We can talk while we walk, if you want."

"Of course," Damon responded, smiling on the outside even if he wanted nothing more than to just walk away, though this man proved to be polite and maybe even a bit interesting, "I'm taking a trip from the United Kingdom and away from my teaching job, and I decided to visit Japan; specifically Osaka, because I'm a fan of rather large cities."

"Yeah, me too, especially since I grew up in the countryside," Shinnosuke nodded, instantly sitting on a bench as soon as he was able to spot it, "Oh, you're a teacher? What do you teach?"

"I'm a psychology teacher for a rather small high school in Wells," Damon answered, sitting down next to Shinnosuke, crossing one leg over the other, "Working with teenagers can be fairly infuriating, but I do not regret my choice, I have learned a lot from those children."

"That's wonderful," Shinnosuke replied, smiling warmly towards the man as he looked to the left to see four police officers approaching them from afar, "Huh? I wonder what they want."

"Oh," Damon suddenly stood up, slipping both of his boney hands into his pockets, "They have some business with me, but it is very boring… I will see you soon, Shinnosuke. You can talk to me again tomorrow, I'm always either here or at the park."

"Huh? Oh, alright, bye." Shinnosuke, although a bit confused, decided to get up from the wooden bench and walk towards the exit of the store, ignoring the police officers as they approached Damon, who seemed to be standing there with a blank expression on his face.

[At Jin's home…]

"Honey, where did all the plates go?!" Jin called out to Nico as she ran through the house, a wash cloth dangling from her right hand before she finally made it to the living room, which had Nico laying across the sofa.

"Huh? Oh, right, I didn't want them to break so I put them in Bones for safe keeping! I was about to go wash them." Nico claimed as he pulled himself off of the sofa, his body aching somewhat as he walked over to his lover.

"They're… in Bones? Well, I'm gonna look away, because you know I don't like it," Jin declared as she turned away, shutting her eyes tightly, "Okay, go ahead."

Nico sighed as a strange figure suddenly phased out from his slender body; it was a humanoid figure that was somewhat taller than him, its upper body being fairly muscular, and on top of its head were two bull horns on either side, tucked inward. Its body was a dark gray color, its eyes being half-lidded, a toothy grin plastered on his face.

"Ugh, it's smiling, isn't it? Please hurry up!" Jin cried, her body shivering and shaking, clearly able to sense that the strange Stand was hovering near her.

"Alright Bones, open up," Nico stated as his Stand's maw gaped open, his arm slowly sinking into it as he extended it; before long, he was able to pull out at least three dishes at a time, setting each of them on the sofa until he gathered at least a dozen, "You can look now."

Jin turned around just as Bones phased back into Nico's slender frame, noticing the plates stacked upon each other on the sofa. "Finally, thank you!" She gave him a small smile before gathering them in her arms.

"Wait, I'm gonna do dishes! Aren't you tired, Jin?" Nico asked as he followed her into the kitchen, her hands slowly easing downward as she placed the dishes beside the sink.

"Come on, I only had a nightmare! I think I can take care of the dishes, go do whatever you were doing," Jin assured him, giving his one of his shoulders a quick pat before turning towards the kitchen sink, "Doing a little housework isn't going to kill me, Nico."

"Fine," Nico sighed before walking back into the living room, his hand reaching for the remote as he slipped back onto the sofa, "Let's see what's on the news, then."

As the television flickered on, Nico had seen that it had already been set on the local news; he sighed, leaning forward to try and get a better look at the main headline.

"Tonight on Osaka City News, Akiko Mikami is still at large," the anchorwoman stated, shuffling a stack of paper in her hands, "Several bodies were found scattered across downtown Osaka, most of them appearing to be malnourished, their clothes shredded; the local police have told us that the most terrifying thing are not the cuts at the ends of their mouths, but the gaping holes in their stomachs!"

"Oh god," Jin cringed, staring down at the sink as she lathered one of the dishes with soap, "I don't want to hear about this…"

"Sorry hun, I think this is important," Nico apologized, sincere in his words as he leaned closer towards the television, "This… this isn't right."

"Despite all of the apparent fighting that had went on during this time, there is no trace of Akiko Mikami," the anchorwoman continued, sweat rolling down her face as if she herself was terrified of this mysterious killer, "Please, keep your doors locked tonight. The police are doing their absolute best to find this monster."

"That's enough," Nico sighed before pressing the power button, the light emanating from the television suddenly disappearing, "Sorry Jin, it just sounded incredibly off. I don't know of any killer that's able to punch huge holes into people's guts."

"I'm sure a killer would do all sorts of messed up things," Jin's voice shook slightly, clearly put off by the news report, "Uh, could you wash the dishes instead? I don't feel so good."

"Sorry," Nico apologized yet again as he slid off of the sofa, his feet carrying him over to the kitchen sink, his arms slowly sliding around his lover in an attempt to comfort her, "I know how you get when you see those kinds of things, I'll try not to disregard how you feel again."

"Oh, uh, it's okay," Jin replied, slowly moving away from the sink as she grabbed a washcloth that had been resting on the counter, "It just… it scares me that someone like that is in this city. What if she comes near us?"

"She won't if she knows what's good for her," Nico responded just a second later, slowly letting go of Jin, "Like I said, no one's gonna hurt you as long as I'm around. Besides, you might end up helping me or someone else in need. Don't doubt yourself, okay?"

"I'll try not to, but, I'll do all I can if I have to," Jin gave him a small nod before leaning over to him, planting a small kiss on his cheek, "I'm going to lay down for a little while, Nico."

"Alright, rest easy!" Nico gave her a small hug before letting her go, his expression almost softening, "I gotta do my best. Everything will be okay Nico, everything will be okay."

[Several hours later, at Josiah's apartment…]

8:30 PM.

Josiah and his friends stood around his living room, their backs either against the wall or they were sitting at the sofa; some were more impatient than others, however, as they waited for something to happen.

"Why'd you call us here, Josiah?" Taiga asked with an annoyed scowl, one of her mechanical fingers tapping against her other arm, "I had a few plans for tonight, so make it quick."

"Calm down, it wasn't my idea," Josiah replied as he groaned, his hand twitching as he pried himself from his sofa, "Irene wants to tell us all a few things, though I don't really get why it has to be at my apartment."

"Because," Irene's voice broke through the building as the front door opened, a hand on her hip as Gustavo followed from behind, "There's some new information that we learned, thanks to the news and Gustavo's Stand ability."

"Huh? Is it about that serial killer?" Dororesu asked, one of her arms slung over the top of the couch as she sighed, "It's good news, right?"

"It is for the most part," Irene answered and nodded in Dororesu's direction, her feet dragging her to the middle of the room, "There's a few things I would like to discuss with you, but one thing is of the utmost importance; Ryouta was found dead at the scene of the crime."

"What?! That idiot!" Josiah shouted, his left hand clenched tightly as he walked towards his calm mother, "Did he just ignore us?!"  
"No, Ryouta was found among several other bodies," Irene said with a sigh, though her formal demeanor did not shift whatsoever, "He's not the type of man who would let others die because of him; Akiko probably found him and silenced him before he could find anything else out… hell, she might have killed him just because she felt like it. We don't know."

"I'm sure he'll find peace now," Shinnosuke added, attempting to keep himself from shedding any tears, "I didn't know him, but I'm sure he was a good man."

"Yeah, but," Warut interrupted, his arms crossed, "What's that Gustavo guy doing here? What did you guys find?"

"I think we've found where she's hiding out at," Gustavo started, a small smirk slowly forming on his face, "My Stand, Sixty Minute Man, lets me do anything twice in one minute and it has very sharp senses; through research and what I know, I was able to quickly form a theory that she's still hiding out in downtown Osaka, where Sophia and I first encountered her."

"Wait, just a theory? Why don't you know for sure?" Josiah asked, sighing deeply before stepping away from his mother, doing his best to calm his nerves.

"My Stand isn't omnipotent," Gustavo continued, "But, Akiko wouldn't dare show her face in public, as she _is_ a wanted killer; it's that, plus all the murders have taken place in that poor area of town. There's no other place she could go… besides, Sixty Minute Man could still smell her scent when I went there just a few hours ago, and I doubt she'll leave. She seems to enjoy Osaka quite a bit… and I don't think I want to know why."

"So with that knowledge, we're one hundred percent sure Akiko is there," Irene said, her eyes mostly focusing on her son, "Having too many people there at a time would be a mistake, so we need to think carefully on who would be able to combat her Stand easily; apparently her Stand carries a giant pair of scissors, so my barrier wouldn't work too well. It's also incredibly strong, and it can make a portal of some kind."

"I'll go," Josiah volunteered, his blue eyes almost brimming with rage as he stared at his mother, "I won't take no for an answer, either; we can wait for my hand to completely heal, and I can go by myself."

"You're not goin' by yourself," Warut stepped forward, putting a hand on Josiah's left shoulder, "I'm goin' with ya, got it? Combined with Stratovarius' versatility, and all of the physical might and speed of Downplay, we can probably overpower her."

"Are you sure?" Irene asked, her stone faced expression suddenly changing to a small frown, "I know you're angry, Josiah; but you can't let that dictate your actions. Are you absolutely sure you want to fight this serial killer?"

"This isn't just a fight, mom," Josiah responded, his determination rising as he spoke louder, "This is to avenge the people she's killed, it isn't about me."

"Ya took the words right out of my mouth, Josiah! We can do it, Irene!" Warut assured her, his hand squeezing Josiah's shoulder as he gave her a wide grin.

"Very well," Irene nodded, agreeing to their proposition as she turned her back away, "Keep that attitude and you should be fine, just don't underestimate her; I don't know when she obtained her Stand, but it's clear she knows how to handle it and other Stand users."

"So, what was the other thing you wanted to talk to us about?" Taiga asked, yawning briefly as she walked around the room impatiently, "Also, where's that Masujiro kid? Did he just run off after that fight with Firestart?"

"Not at all, Masujiro Keizo has been working with me on something I haven't told any of you, except for Josiah," Irene admitted, reaching one of her hands into her left pants pocket, "We have another killer on the loose and we don't even know his name, which is why Jothan, my father, will be helping us. His Stand will come in handy."

"Well, what's he look like? Aren't you gonna show us?" Dororesu asked as she slipped off of the sofa, walking towards her father, "I just wanna get this all over with, to be honest."

"I understand," Irene said before pulling out an ID, flipping it around to show the group, "Masujiro and I fought him at the mall, he has a Stand of some kind; we caught him right after he killed a man, stuck out like a sore thumb."

"Huh…?" Shinnosuke felt his heart beat faster and faster as he looked upon the picture, "No, that's impossible… guys…"

"Shinnosuke, what's wrong?" Josiah asked as he quickly approached his friend, who had suddenly started to lean against the wall, sweat falling from his face profusely.

"I know him."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Nico Andreaccio  
Age: 21  
Stand: Bones  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - D  
Range – D  
Precision - A  
Durability - A  
Development Potential - ?


	19. Shinnosuke Is Feeling Indigo!

_**Shinnosuke Is Feeling Indigo!**_

February 6th, 8:35 PM.

"I know him," Shinnosuke shook, his teeth chattering incessantly, "I met him today while I was shopping… oh god..."

"Calm yourself, Shinnosuke," Irene said as she stepped forward, placing a hand on his left shoulder and gripping it firmly, "It's okay, you're not to blame for anything. I can't ask you his name because I doubt he would tell a stranger such a thing, though…"

"But," Shinnosuke murmured, his face completely pale as beads of sweat continually rolled down his face, his eyes wide with horror, "But if I knew, I could have caught him… I should have come over sooner… damn it…"

"Shinnosuke, you didn't do anything wrong," Josiah said as he put an arm over Shinnosuke's shoulders, slowly moving him to the sofa, "Just calm down, buddy. You've done nothing wrong, it's not like you could have known until now."

"Yeah, besides," Gustavo smirked confidently as he looked towards the shivering man, "We've formulated a plan to catch him off guard, so you didn't aid him in any way, got it? I just need you to listen."

"Huh? Uh, okay," Shinnosuke nodded, the chattering of his teeth slowly coming to a stop as he listened to Gustavo, "I'm all ears."

"Wait, you already have a plan?" Taiga questioned, somewhat shocked at how quickly this man had worked, "I guess I gotta give you more credit."

"Heh," Gustavo chuckled for a moment before continuing, "Sixty Minute Man has managed to track him down, and he's staying at an apartment complex to the west of this one. It's a few miles away, but I don't think he's going to leave as long as Irene and Masujiro are still alive."

"We've also concocted a plan to make him say his name," Irene said, crossing her arms as she smirked towards the others, "Jothan, my father, has a Stand that can implant messages into someone by punching them, and these messages have a tendency to constantly ring out for at least ten seconds."

"Wait," Dororesu interrupted, her eyes widening slightly, "So your plan is to potentially drive him mad to the point where he'll have no choice but to say his name? I like your style."

"Thank you," Irene gave her a genuine smile before cracking her knuckles, "Jothan and Masujiro will be arriving here in about twenty five minutes, and only one of us can come along so they don't look too suspicious."

"I'll go," Shinnosuke spoke after the older woman had finished speaking, his face slowly regaining some of its color, "I don't want to sit around and do nothing. Even if my Stand scares me half to death, I want to be of use to you all."

"Ya can't just say that after you nearly faint, Shinnosuke! Are ya sure about this?" Warut asked, stepping towards his friend with concern in every movement he made, though Shinnosuke only nodded in response.

"Shinnosuke, I'm proud of you," Josiah smiled warmly towards him, giving him a thumbs up before turning back to his mother, "I guess that settles it, then; the old man better be careful, or else I might have to kick his ass."

"Jothan's experience in battle far surpasses mine, so I'm not too worried about him," Irene commented, moving to the sofa to take a seat, "I just wish we knew what this bastard's Stand does, not knowing his abilities makes this all the more dangerous; all we do know is that he seems like a very calm man, and he isn't afraid to run away from battle if it means he can survive another day."

"What's our goal, exactly? Do we just need to knock him out?" Shinnosuke asked as he approached her, twiddling his thumbs nervously despite his complete willingness to join the other two in pursuing this man.

"You're correct," Irene answered, though she looked slightly unsettled, "Our real problem is that we can't put him in prison, he'll just break out with his Stand; if the three of you manage to knock him out, we're going to take him in for questioning, and if I have to, I'll pummel him myself."

"Okay," Shinnosuke sighed, relieved that his mission was not to kill the man, "That eases my nerves a little, so, thank you, Irene."

"Of course," Irene replied as she put one leg over the other, yawning for a brief moment, "That's all I had for you, so all we can do is wait for Jothan and Masujiro to show up. You can all go home if you want."

"Hey, it's my apartment!" Josiah shouted, visibly irritated at his mother, "You guys can leave whenever you want, I'm not going to bed until the mission is over and done with."

"I'll stay until it gets really late, I don't want a cop tryin' to get in my business." Warut said as he slipped onto the sofa, sighing as he slowly shut his eyes, a deep sleep almost immediately taking over his body.

[Twenty-five minutes pass…]

9:00 PM.

"Hey," A gruff man called out into the room, his muscular and large figure stepping through the doorway, revealing it to be Jothan Joestar, "Anybody home?"

"You're right on the mark as always, dad," Irene commented before prying herself off the sofa, her feet carrying over to her father, "Where's Masujiro?"

"He's waiting in the car," Jothan responded, waving over to the entire group of youngsters, "Hey, kids! I know I'm in a hurry, but I'm proud of you for taking care of that Himuro Firestart bastard, you did damn good."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Shinnosuke said, extending his hand over to Jothan enthusiastically, "My name is Shinnosuke, and I'm going to be coming along to help you out."

"I've heard good things about you," Jothan gave him a nod, gripping his hand tightly before giving it a few firm shakes, "Looking forward to fighting beside you. With all of that said, are you the only one that's going to be joining us? What about you, Josiah?"

"Irene thinks that it's best if only three of us go," Josiah replied, looking a bit disappointed with that course of action, "If too many of us go, the staff there might find it a bit suspicious; and if the bastard has a small room, it'll be too crowded and we might end up hurting each other."

"Good thinking," Jothan nodded towards his grandson and then his daughter, slowly turning to the doorway, "Well, let's go, Shinnosuke. We don't have all night."

"Right," Shinnosuke agreed, waving goodbye to everyone as he followed the older man and slowly shut the door behind him, "See you all later!"

[Ten minutes pass…]

Shinnosuke sat beside Jothan who had been steering with one hand, a cigarette in the other, the vehicle being a minivan; in the back was Masujiro, who had been cleaning off Issues with a wash cloth, barely paying attention to what the two in the front had been talking about.

"So, you're my boy's best friend, huh?" Jothan asked as he moved his cigarette away from his lips, his hand turning the steering wheel to the left, "I think I saw you back at that girl's funeral. I want you to keep this between just us, because I have a question… is Josiah alright?"

"He seems okay," Shinnosuke replied, staring out the window of the minivan and towards the stars in the night sky, "Whenever she gets brought up, it's like he shuts down. I think he blames himself for her death, even though it's not his fault. I'm a hypocrite for saying that, because I think I could have done something if only I had known."

"Don't beat yourself up, kid," Jothan advised before pressing his cigarette into the ash try between them, "Life is too short to think about what you could have done, think about what you can do; Josiah never liked to show his feelings, so he must have got that from me."

"You seem really fond of him," Shinnosuke commented, now looking at the muscular old man, seeming slightly more wise than he had thought, "Does it go beyond being family, or is that all there is to it?"

"It's a long story, but to keep it short and sweet," Jothan started, flicking his now defunct cigarette out the car window, "Back when Josiah was four, so about eighteen years ago, he got really sick. Thanks to my father and his ability, we were ability to find the cause of it… Dion, an ancient vampire that stole a relative's body, was alive again; though she might not have known it, she was killing my boy slowly. I never saw anything like it, these strange wires were wrapping around his body… I didn't understand. Irene made me look after him while she and some friends went to track Dion down, and they eventually destroyed her. Only after that did Josiah become a perfectly healthy boy again, so I learned to cherish him."

"I see," Shinnosuke responded, turning to look out the window again, "You're a really good grandpa, then. I'm sure Josiah only has respect and love for you."

"I hope so," Jothan said with a sigh, "They were gone for fifty days, and it took them a few days to get back home, so I played with him a bit… heh, he was a very hyperactive kid, so it was kinda difficult to take care of him, but I believe I'm truly blessed."

"Can we cut the sappy shit? We're tryin' to kick a guy's ass, y'know," Masujiro rudely interrupted, placing his Stand back into its sheath, which suddenly phased out of existence, "Stop talkin' like this is your last stand, old man."

"I'm the one driving, so deal with it," Jothan snapped back before slowing the vehicle down, stopping by a rather large apartment complex, "Good lord, that's huge… and I hate elevators, so this is going to be fun."

"Wait, how are we going to find him if we don't know his name?" Shinnosuke asked as Jothan pulled into the parking lot, placing his keys into his jacket pocket as he opened up the door to the minivan.

"Gustavo's Stand found out that he's on the second floor in room number seventeen, so we don't have to know his name," Jothan informed him as he shut the door to the minivan, watching as Masujiro and Shinnosuke slipped out of the vehicle as well, "We just have to act casual while we're inside, at least until we find him. Masujiro, you'll have to stay outside until we call for you, okay? He doesn't know about me."

"He knows my name," Shinnosuke interjected as he walked around the minivan, now walking alongside the two men, "So I can make up some sort of excuse when he sees me, but I don't know how effective it will be."

"Actually, it might be best if you wait outside with Masujiro," Jothan said as they walked closer to the glass doors of the complex, "I can land a hit or two on him and catch him off guard, and then you two can come in on my signal. Does that sound good to you?"

"Yeah, better than nothing," Masujiro added, smirking slightly as they arrived at the clear front doors, easily able to see that the man at the front desk was unconcious, "Let's get this over with, I wanna get some sleep."

[In Damon's apartment…]

"It's been such a long day," Damon murmured to himself as he slid his hair brush onto his kitchen sink, his hands patting his neatly combed hair, "I almost can't believe that the little shit delayed me, I should have killed him. No one would have known, but I suppose today was an off day."

Damon walked back into his living room, placing himself on his recliner, a small yawn leaving his dry lips as he shut his eyes; sleep would have taken him away, too, if it was not for the loud knocking at his door.

"Hm? A visitor, at this time?" Damon asked himself curiously as he slipped out from his chair, his bony hand gripping his doorknob, "Hello, who might you be?"

"Hello sir, I'm new to Osaka and I was wondering if you could give me a few pointers," Jothan said, his arms practically stuck to his sides before he extended a hand to Damon, "My name is Jothan, and you seem like a rather helpful fellow."

"Hm? Well, thank you," Damon nodded, stepping to the side to allow Jothan entry, "I don't get visitors often, so this is a pleasant surprise. You're a foreigner, aren't you? You have an American accent, and you speak English."

"I'm from America, but I decided to move here so I can experience some new things," Jothan replied as Damon shut the door behind him, swiftly taking a seat on the sofa in the corner of the room, "I don't know much about Japanese culture, so I figured I could talk to someone who lives here about it."

"Well, truth be told, I'm not native to this country either," Damon responded as he slipped back into his recliner, moving one leg over the other, "I'm from the United Kingdom, and I'm new here, as well. But maybe we could learn together."

"Of course!" Jothan said cheerfully, giving the man a warm smile; though, on the inside, he could feel a strange tension growing between him and this strange man, it was as if he would not hesitate to kill him at any moment.

"Let me go make you some coffee!" Damon offered as he slipped out from his recliner once more, rubbing his hands together as a strange figure phased out from him; the description of this thing fit what Irene had told him about, this was his Stand, so this meant that he must have felt a suspicious aura rising from Jothan.

 _My ability still works if it hits an enemy Stand, so I can risk it if I have to… his Stand hasn't made a move, it's just standing there; from what I understand, it isn't immensely powerful, but it might be able to put a dent in me. I need to wait until he returns, so I can have him in my sights in case he tries to escape._ Jothan thought to himself, beads of sweat rolling down the sides of his head as he adjusted his jacket, doing his best not to look towards his target's Stand.

Jothan was practically frozen in his seat as he awaited the man's return, doing his best to not look over at the hulking beast that was by the recliner; after five minutes, Damon finally came back to the living room, holding two cups of coffee.

"Here you go," Damon said, giving Jothan a bright smile as he handed him the cup of coffee, though the older man only slowly turned to him, "Uh, Jothan?"

Without any warning, an eight foot tall figure phased out from Jothan's body; its body seemed rather metallic, similar to that of Downplay, except that it was pure black with bits of rust hanging off of its limbs. It had two eyes with purple irises, a small nose that pointed downward, but it had no mouth. Along with its large and muscular body, it had a large golden J on on its chest, which looked rather jarring on its dark body.

"ORA!" The enormous Stand cried, smashing both of its fists into Damon's mouth, which sent him reeling onto the floor of the apartment; Jothan quickly stood up, staring down at Damon with fury in his eyes.

"Bet you didn't expect that, bastard," Jothan mocked, watching as the cups of coffee shattered as they hit the carpet, "Hey Jude is incredibly strong, so just try and fight back; my daughter told me about you, so I'm not gonna let you threaten this city for one more minute."

"Damn it… how in the hell did this happen?" Damon murmured as wet blood dripped from his maw, feeling as if his face was going numb as he heard a strange echo inside of his head; wait, was that a man's voice? Was this a part of this Stand's ability?

"Name. Your name." A monotonous voice echoed throughout Damon's skull nonstop, his fingers gripping at his dark hair as he stared up at Jothan, who had his incredibly tall Stand right beside him, ready to go at any moment.

"You heard me," Jothan said, crossing his arms as he circled Damon, a golden aura surrounding his muscular frame, "What's your name? The voices won't stop until you answer them. Hey, Masujiro, Shinnosuke, come on in!"

Masujiro and Shinnosuke both rushed into the living room of Damon's apartment, noticing the coffee stains in front of the sofa, but their eyes soon met with their target's body, which was writhing on his own floor.

"Wow, I didn't think you could take him out that easily," Masujiro commented, stepping over to the left side of Damon, "Your Stand is either really strong or this guy is just a pushover. He didn't even attack you, huh?"

"He didn't have a chance to attack me," Jothan answered, smirking a bit confidently though he did not take his eyes off of the shocked man for a second, "Kind of pitiful, really. You've been trying to conceal your identity this entire time, but you couldn't even see a sneak attack coming."

"Jothan," Shinnosuke began, his eyes slowly looking up at the gruff old man, "I'm sorry that I doubted you. But, this can't be it, right? I didn't think he would be so easy to capture."

"We only got lucky," Jothan admitted, seeing that Damon's Stand had phased out of existence as he writhed on the floor, "If he made the first move, I might have gotten hurt. It seems that he didn't expect for us to track him down."

"You… I'll kill you…" Damon grunted as he spat out crimson blood onto his carpet, his fingers digging into it as he tried to pick himself up, but it was all for nothing.

"Shut your mouth," Jothan growled like a drill sergeant, slowly bending down to grip Damon's head by just a few strands of hair, "If you don't say your name here, I'll just knock you out and interrogate you for hours on end. Either way, you're screwed; at least make it easy for yourself."

Damon nearly let out a guttural scream as the bland, empty voices persisted inside of his brain, feeling as if it was going to drive him absolutely mad.

"I won't tell you… I can't!" Damon grunted, his eyes staring up at the ceiling fan as he felt Jothan yank his hair, his face suddenly buried in his blood covered carpet.

"You will," Jothan demanded, tightening his grip on the younger man's black hair, most of it now a mess, entangled in the old man's grip, "Did you happen to see the news? Four police officers were found dead in a grocery store, the cause of death being apparent suicide; the security cameras showed you walking away from the scene of the crime as each of them put a gun to their head!"

"Wait, what?! I left right just as…" Shinnosuke's voice trailed off, his eyes only showing anger as he stared down at Damon, "You bastard…"

"Damon…" The man's voice was muffled against the blood soaked carpet, his fingers gripping at it as he tried to break free from Jothan's grip, the voices echoing through his head only intensifying with every passing second.

"Huh? What was that, asshole?" Masujiro commented, watching as Jothan lifted the man's face up, which seemed void of any resistance now.

"My name is Damon Lustbader… make it stop!" Damon cringed, his face meeting the floor as his body fell unconscious, his final groan of pain devoid of any resistance or hope that he might escape.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Jothan Joestar  
Age: 61  
Stand: Hey Jude  
Stand Statistics  
Power – A  
Speed – A  
Range – C  
Precision – A  
Durability – E  
Development Potential – E


	20. Akiko Mikami Wants A Crazy Life! (1)

_**Akiko Mikami Wants A Crazy Life! (1)**_

February 7th, 12:00 PM.

"Ugh… where am I?" Damon murmured as his eyes fluttered open, his eyes adjusting to the bright light dangling from the rather low ceiling; as he moved his head from left to right, he managed to see that Jothan and Irene were standing right in front of him.

"Don't make any sudden movements, Lustbader," Irene threatened, her own Stand phasing out from her body as she smirked, "We're the ones asking the questions, got it?"

"If you even try to use your Stand, I won't hesitate to blow you into smithereens," Jothan added, crossing his arms as he circled Damon, "So, we have a few questions for you."

"What could you possibly want to ask me? Even if you throw me in jail, I'll just get out; what use could I be to you? You only know my name!" Damon's murmuring soon turned to shouting, soon finding out that his arms and legs were bound to the steel chair he was setting in, his limbs locked inside of tight compartments.

"We're going to get all the information we can out of you," Irene answered him, Stone Free slowly phasing out of existence, "If you don't answer us, my dad here will make those voices you hate so much come back; also, who ever said you were going to jail?"

"I did some research," Jothan interrupted, staring coldly at Damon, "You're Damon Lustbader, from the United Kingdom. You taught a psychology course at a high school in Cardiff, where several students had gone missing last year. What do you have to say about that?"

"I don't have to answer to you," Damon grunted as his eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them, his mouth still aching as he ran his tongue over his upper lip, soon realizing that they had not bothered to clean him up, "Damn it, how could this happen? I've only been careful since I came here… how did I let these _mistakes_ hinder my progress? Brutes..."

"Hinder your progress? The hell are you talking about?" Jothan questioned as his Stand phased out from his body, one of his fists clenched as he approached the younger man, "If you don't answer our questions, I _will_ beat the ever-loving shit out of you; and that's not a threat, it's a promise."

"Brutes, huh? Big talk coming from a murderer," Irene said, stepping over to him, suddenly smacking him across the left side of his face, "The twelve children that disappeared last year in Cardiff were never found, did you know that? There was nothing suspicious that went on in their daily lives, there were no strange fingerprints on their belongings, nothing."

"How dare you strike me!" Damon shouted as his Stand suddenly phased out from his body, which resulted in Irene's Stone Free jumping forward, its left fist implanting itself across the right side of his face.

"I won't hold back," Irene said with a glare, her Stand right beside her as Damon's faded back into nothingness, "We've come to the conclusion that your Stand can control people, allowing you to get away with no consequences. The incident at the mall, the man who killed himself the same day, the four dead police man, it was all you!"  
 _  
I need an opening, and then I can try to make a run for it… this damn fool keeps rambling on and on about the things I've done, but does it really make any difference? They made a mistake keeping me alive… I just have to wait for an opening, then I can run, because I doubt Love and Meth can take on both of them at the same time._ Damon thought to himself, staying quiet as he felt warm blood spill out from his mouth as a result from the punch Irene had delivered to him.

"You're going to pay for all these crimes," Jothan said matter-of-factly, turning away from Damon for a moment, "Even if you have a Stand, we'll make damn sure you rot forever or you're sent to be executed. Having a Stand won't save you as long as we're around."

"Like I'd be scared of someone like you," Damon grumbled, his fingers attempting to dig into the steel chair but it was to no avail, "You keep talking, saying that you'll show me justice; so why haven't you already? You're wasting your time."

As he spoke, his eyes brightened up as they spoke, completely shutting the two of them out; from the door came a Speedwagon Foundation member, holding a broom in one hand and a dustpan in the other one.

"Just here to clean up, ignore me." He spoke plainly, the two Joestars slowly turning away from Damon as their eyes widened; with a grin, Love and Meth suddenly phased out from Damon's body, breaking his bindings fairly easily.

"Love and Meth!" Damon cried as he slipped out of the chair, his hulking Stand pointing its finger towards the janitor, a thin string jutting out from the tip and embedding itself inside of the man; suddenly, he charged towards Jothan and Irene, allowing Damon to suddenly sprint towards the exit.

"What?!" Jothan extended a single fist, planting it across the possessed janitor's face, sending him skidding across the cold floor of the interrogation room.

"I can't believe something so miniscule let him escape! Let's go!" Irene shouted to her father, her legs suddenly sprinting out the doorway as well, attempting to catch up, but it seemed like it was all for naught; somehow, Damon was completely out of sight.

"How in the hell did he get away so fast?! We were too cocky!" Jothan ran around the corner, only to see that Damon was truly gone, but it seemed so odd… why was everyone so quiet? Jothan quickly made his way into the main lobby, seeing that several pieces of furniture were strewn across the room, most of them shattered into pieces; among the mess had been several unconscious staff members, no sign of any major wounds present.

"Goddamn it!" Irene shouted, shoving her Stand's fist through one of the brick walls, her face covered with anger.

"I'll go make some calls," Jothan sighed, kicking a piece of broken wood to the side as he pulled a cellphone out from his jacket, "This is just great… what a pain."

[At Josiah's apartment…]

"That fucker got out!" Josiah shouted as he shoved his cellphone into his pocket, noticing that Taiga had nearly jumped out of her skin at his sudden anger.  
"Wait, what? That Damon asshole escaped?" Taiga asked, her eyes wide with surprise as her friend pulled his laptop onto his wooden table, opening it up to reveal a program, the top of it revealing a logo that said 'Talktime'.

"Yeah, apparently some dumbass opened up the door to the interrogation room, and he used his Stand to control them," Josiah sighed, quickly adding Dororesu, Warut, and Shinnosuke to a video call, "They should have just put him in his place."

"Huh? Josiah, what's wrong?" Shinnosuke's voice emitted from the laptop, his face now present as Warut and Dororesu came online as well.

"You're lucky I wasn't sleepin'," Warut joked, chuckling slightly as Dororesu sighed, standing right beside her father, "What's wrong, Josiah?"

"This better be good," Dororesu interjected, rubbing one of her eyes with her right hand, "I was trying to nap."

"Damon escaped from the Speedwagon Foundation," Josiah spoke in a hurried voice, scowling, "He can apparently control people with his Stand, some poor guy got possessed and tried to attack Irene and Jothan. We don't even know where Damon is now."

"No! Do you think he'd go on a killing spree, I imagine he'd be seething after all that happened to him!" Shinnosuke's expression turned from worried to stone cold horror, his teeth slowly starting to chatter.

"Shinnosuke, calm down! I don't think Damon would try to draw attention to himself so soon after being captured," Josiah reassured him, sighing heavily, "I wanted to tell you guys so you could keep an eye out."

"He probably won't be leaving town as long as we know his name and where he's from," Taiga added, a small smirk growing on her face, "He's probably not gonna rest until he's dead or until he kills all of us, but we outnumber him."

"Right," Dororesu yawned, covering her mouth with her left hand as she did so, "Ugh, this is just wonderful… thank you for warning me, but I'm going back to my nap."

"Thank ya, Josiah," Warut gave him a nod and a thumbs up as his daughter walked out of view, "I'll let ya know if I find anything."

"Same here," Shinnosuke replied to Josiah as well, his face still as white as a ghost, "I'll do whatever it takes to help out, so keep in touch. Talk to you later."

With that, Josiah shut his laptop closed and sighed, his back sinking into his sofa as he stared down at his still recovering hand.

"This is just great…"

[Nineteen days pass…]

February 26th, 7:30 PM.

Josiah slipped off the cast that had been shielding his hand for over a month, the cool air of his apartment room hitting it immediately, causing him to cringe for a moment, though it passed just as quickly as it came.

"I think it's completely healed," he began, looking over to Warut and Gustavo with a small smile on his face, his left hand running over his now free right hand, "You know what that means, right?"

"Yeah," Warut said with a nod, pulling his muscular frame off from his friend's sofa, his black mist slowly wrapping itself around his body, "Where did ya say Akiko was again, Gustavo?"

"She's still in downtown Osaka, like I said before; she's probably hiding out in an abandoned home, if she's so sure about staying in hiding. I don't know the specifics, but after going there again, my Stand can still smell her presence," Gustavo informed them, sighing as he wiped sweat from his brow, "Just, be careful, okay?"

"Stop worrying about us," Josiah declared, his back turned away from Gustavo as he turned the knob to his front door, "We'll come back in one piece, hopefully with good news; with that said, let's hurry, Warut!"

"I'm right behind ya, buddy!" Warut declared, quickly walking behind Josiah before shutting the door behind him as he left.

[In downtown Osaka…]

Nico walked hand in hand with Jin, not wanting to admit that he had gotten the two lost down here in the first place, though he felt as if his lover's silence was her way of saying that he did; though she was wearing a small smile on her face, her grip tightening on his hand.

Despite the smell of rotten garbage and mildew, it did not seem to bother these two, which could be seen as a commendable feat; both of them were shivering from the harsh winter cold, each of them wearing heavy jackets and a set of black gloves.

"So," Nico stopped moving, forcing her to stop as well which prompted her to turn around to look at him, "I think we might be lost, but it's fine! I'm sure if we retrace our steps we can get out of here before we even know it!"

"Don't worry," Jin replied, her breath becoming visible as she leaned against his shoulder, her long black hair swaying in the cold winter breeze, "All that matters is that we're together, so don't worry until it's something worth worrying about. That's what you always told me!"

"I guess you're right, then," Nico stated, shivering as the cold breeze brushed against his already red cheeks, "I'd be a hypocrite otherwise, so let's keep moving!"

Though, as Nico finished his statement, he could not help but notice that Jin's eyes had gone wind and her face had gone pale; she did not utter a word, but her face confused Nico, prompting him to look in the same direction that she had been so focused on.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Nico asked as he slowly turned around, his eyes almost as wide as Jin's when his eyes registered just what he had been looking at; in front of him was a familiar woman, her face covered by a blue mask that would belong to a nurse, her short black hair moving in rhythm the wind ever so slightly.

"Having a little stroll in this shit hole, you lovebirds?" Akiko questioned, poking fun at the two as she stumbled over to them, a pair of scissors in her left hand as she giggled. "It's rude to ignore someone who's talking to you."

"Jin," Nico gulped as Bones phased out from his body. Its jaw suddenly unhinged. "Mi amore, I'm sorry for bringing Bones out, but you need somewhere to hide in!"

Before Jin could argue, Nico quickly pushed her inside of Bones' maw, its jaw suddenly returning to normal as he stared straight at Akiko, the light around him suddenly dimming as his eyes resembled those of a protective father.

"Oh, so you have a Stand? I wasn't expecting that, not from a little baby like you!" Akiko's giggling nearly transformed into a loud laughter, her own fleshy, crimson red Stand phasing out from her slender body.

"Well, this is just my luck," Nico could feel his body slowly becoming more and more numb, though he didn't know if it was out of terror or the cold clinging to his body, "You're Akiko Mikami, aren't you? The hell do you want?"

"That's a good question, but I don't think it's any of your business," Akiko stated, her eyes lighting up with what seemed to be joy, her voice a bit too cheerful, "I was just killing time, then I saw you two walking around so I thought… hey, why not go over there and serve up a smile or two?"

"You stay away from mi passero," Nico started, his fists clenched so tightly that he was not so sure that he could feel them any more, "Or I will gut you like a fish, do you understand me?"

"Oh, you're a tough guy, aren't you?" Akiko taunted, an orange aura surrounding her body as she walked closer to Nico without a care in the world, her Stand slowly floating towards him as well, an enormous pair of scissors in its left hand.

Without saying another word, Nico had managed to get a bit closer, his Stand suddenly throwing itself at the killer; she had not expected him to step closer, a surprised gasp exiting from her mouth as Bones' heavy fist met with the center of The Plot In You's face.

Akiko barely made a sound as she fell, her back meeting with the cold concrete, her fingers running down her face, seeing that fresh blood had started to seep out from her nostrils; she only chuckled, slowly picking herself back up.

"You thought I was going to make a run for it, didn't you?" Nico asked, crossing his arms as Bones retracted, mimicking its user by crossing its skeletal arms as well. "Why would I run from someone like you?"

"You're cocky, too," Akiko wiped the fresh blood from her nose, her hand soon resting on her left hip as she sighed, "I'm gonna have to kill you now, that hurt! Besides, do you think you're a hero or something?"

"Fuck no," Nico replied, the light around him darkening even more, "I'm protecting someone from you, idiot! If I just run away, you'll find me somehow, I'm sure!"

"You're smarter than you look," Akiko admitted, licking her lips as her intense orange aura flared, her Stand seemingly unaffected by the blow to the face for the most part, "You're right, I don't let my prey get away so easily!"

"Prey, huh?" Nico murmured, his heart beating faster and faster, the overwhelming terror he felt before mixing with bravery that seemed to leak out from his body as he kept his distance from her Stand, attempting to spot a weak point of some kind.

"Don't stand still for too long!" Akiko cried as she suddenly dashed towards him, her Stand moving at a blinding speed as it threw a punch, similar to that of what Bones had done earlier; as The Plot In You's fist made contact, Bones did not move an inch, though Nico grunted audibly.

Bones retaliated by throwing a rather slow punch towards The Plot In You's abdomen, only for the fleshy Stand to grab its fist; it followed this action by somehow pulling Bones upward, then tossed the hulking skeleton on the cold ground, forcing it to crack in several directions.

"Shit!" Nico groaned as he fell to a single knee, feeling the midsection of his back crack for a moment as he panted heavily, "She's way faster than me…"

"You got that right," Akiko gloated, her Stand standing over Bones before repeatedly bashing its fists against its opponent's upper body, "This Stand is really durable, it hasn't even flinched! I guess I'll just have to keep thrashing it until I shatter it into pieces!"

Without hesitation, Bones raised its unwavering hands towards The Plot In You's legs, which it then pulled down; the crimson Stand would have fallen on top of Bones if it wasn't for the fact that it delivered a slow but powerful punch to its gut, which sent it skidding across the concrete.

"Got ya!" Akiko screamed at the top of her lungs as she jumped towards Nico, the sharp point of her scissors facing downwards as she got in his face; with a loud laugh, she jammed the sharp end of her scissors into his shoulder, blood seeping out from the fresh wound.

"FUCK!" Nico screamed as he raised his left fist, striking Akiko across the face which prompted her to jump away from the young man, taking her scissors with her, which had been dirtied with Nico's fresh blood.

"Shit, you hit hard!" Akiko rubbed her now bruised cheek, frowning as she spun her pair of scissors while her Stand slowly stood back up.

"Fuck…" Nico ran back a few feet as Bones returned to him, opening up its vortex-like max to allow its user to reach inside; he pulled out an odd, cylindrical syringe out from his Stand's mouth, pressing it against the wound that Akiko had carved out.

Inside the syringe were strange, round pills, which slowly went inside his open wound as he pressed the bottom of the device, a short groan of anguish exiting his lungs, but the pain soon passed, and the bleeding quickly came to a stop.

"Huh? That's a weird little gadget you got there!" Akiko said as she quickly dashed towards Nico, his Stand reeling back to throw another punch, but she managed to side step the blow, her Stand doing the same.

"Damn it!" Nico shouted out in agony and frustration as The Plot In You landed several blows on his torso at a blinding speed, the final blow meeting with his gut, forcing him to vomit blood onto the freezing concrete, his throat burning.

"Oh, I'm sure that last hit was a real doozy, huh?" Akiko snickered as her Stand raised a leg up, swiftly planting it to Nico's abdomen, sending him flying until his body met with a brick wall, which had been a part of a broken down house.

 _No… I can't move!_ Nico thought to himself as he looked down at his hands, seeing that they were covered with fresh blood. Did he vomit? He couldn't remember, everything around him seemed to darken as he watched Akiko slowly approach him; oddly enough, he could swear that his surroundings were changing.

"You got a few good hits in, but your time is up, kid! I'll be sure to take care of your little lover once your Stand vomits her up!" Akiko sneered, spinning her pair of scissors in her hands as she slowly stepped towards him.

Before she could get within five feet of him, she suddenly stopped in her tracks as she saw something in the corner of her eye, but she couldn't quite make it out; she watched as the somewhat invisible force grazed the back of her Stand's head, a sharp sensation resonating throughout her head as well.

Akiko squinted as she looked towards the building she had just walked away from, which had been rather short; her eyes widened as she got a glimpse of a sniper rifle, and a rugged old man right behind it, his finger on the trigger.

Clark Kubrick opened up a small compartment in his sniper rifle, a rather tall figure standing at seven feet and five inches kneeling beside him, its body being fairly muscular, its skin resembling that of a camouflage uniform that a US Soldier would wear, its face having no features aside from the red orbs, which were meant to resemble eyes.

It scooped its hands through the air, slipping the invisible object into the compartment in the sniper rifle, its round, red orbs staring straight at Akiko as its user prepared to fire once more.

"Hello, gorgeous."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Akiko Mikami  
Age: 38  
Stand: The Plot In You  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - A  
Durability - B  
Precision - A  
Range - D  
Development Potential – C

 **AN:** Just so there are no misunderstandings, the title of the chapter is meant to be a Diamond Is Unbreakable reference.


	21. Akiko Mikami Wants A Crazy Life! (2)

_**Akiko Mikami Wants A Crazy Life! (2)**_

February 26th, 7:40 PM.

"Damn it," Akiko murmured under her breath, her twisted demeanor shifting as she frowned, clearly upset, "I didn't think he would be here…"

"You're mine," Clark spoke quietly, his beige jacket moving slightly as the cold breeze hit his wrinkled skin, his trained eyes staring through the scope of his rifle as he pulled the trigger, "I don't have to get too close yet, so I should be able to draw her away from the boy."

The Plot In You pulled out its enormous pair of scissors as it and its user approached the building that Clark had perched himself upon; before Akiko and her Stand could get any closer, she could feel the air _crack,_ as if the seemingly invisible round he fired was moving at a supersonic speed.

Just as Akiko thought she could see a slight part of the air waver, it suddenly disappeared, as if it went in a completely different direction; her body shifting to look at the brick wall behind her, her ears picking up the sound of a small 'ting', not too far from Nico's unmoving body.

"Where the hell did he fire?!" Akiko shouted, her hands gripping her left leg as she felt a piercing pain resonate through it; she nearly choked on her own spit, nearly just from the surprise as she felt warm blood run down her leg.

"I haven't rendered her immobile yet," Clark whispered to himself, seeing his Stand scoop its hands against the frigid evening air, "Voltaire can keep this going for hours.. I won't let this psychopath get away this time."

"He's never been able to do that before," Akiko grunted, limping as she attempted to get over to the building that Clark was on top of, "So I'll make sure he never does it again!"

Before Voltaire could slip the next round into the sniper rifle, its user nearly fell from the edge of the building; the brick foundation of the house slowly broke away as The Plot In You continuously punched it, slowly breaking it down.

 _She's trying to make the house cave in!_ Clark thought to himself as he picked himself off from his belly, his feet allowing him to jump off the roof, his Stand helping him remain on his feet as he landed on the concrete.

"Surprised to see me?" Clark growled as Voltaire threw itself at The Plot In You, its camo colored fists making contact with the fleshy, crimson Stand's face, its blood fading in with its skin as Voltaire pummeled it relentlessly.

"Get off, you old shit!" Akiko cried in pain as her Stand quickly pulled back, attempting to jab the sharp end of its scissors into Voltaire's abdomen.

"You don't talk to your elders like that, you _monster_." Clark spoke calmly as a navy blue aura surrounded his body, though his voice seemed to have a tinge of unbridled rage inside it; Voltaire quickly countered by seizing the side of the scissor blade, its free hand suddenly balling up into a fist.

Suddenly, Voltaire's fingers suddenly opened up, clinging to the bottom of its hand; inside of its fingers seemed to be a metallic casing, though it seemed that it was too dark to see what was there.

"Fire!" Clark shouted as bits of rock and broken glass pelted The Plot In You's muscular body, one of its arms shielding its face from the makeshift bullets, its other arm pulling back to try and pull its scissor blade free from Voltaire's grasp.

"You're in my range!" Akiko laughed as she pulled Voltaire closer, her Stand pressing its open palm against its head, though it was rather calm and almost loving, like a mother's touch.

Clark's fighting spirit felt like it had almost completely dissipated as his surroundings changed, his eyesight becoming somewhat blurry as he saw the area around him fluctuate for what seemed like eternity.

Before he even knew it, Clark was sitting outside on a wooden porch, warm air brushing against his wrinkled face as his faded violet eyes looked to the sky, billions of stars shining above him as he heard a rocking chair squeak again and again.

He could see thick, wavy black hair move along with the breeze from behind the decrepit rocking chair, his eyes widening with shock but as he opened mouth, nothing would dare come out, as he slowly stepped around the chair.

Her face was a bit wrinkled, some of them around her eyes and some on the sides of her mouth; she slowly turned her head towards Clark, her violet eyes staring up at him as her bottom lip quivered, as if something terribly wrong had happened.

"Honey," she started, her voice like music to his old ears as she sighed heavily, "Why did you do it? Why did you have to go and shoot him?"

"Mama?" Clark's voice trembled, his body soon following as his mother slowly slipped out from the old rocking chair, her head slowly turning to see their old wooden house.

"You didn't have to do that, sweetie," She spoke softly, though her sad stare soon transformed into an angry glare, her shaking left hand slowly reaching into one of her pockets, "Who told you to do that? They'll throw you in jail for what you did, they'll have you killed, do you understand me, son?"

"Mama, I…" Clark could feel his body shaking even more with each passing second, feeling like he could scream, but his mouth simply would not let him as he watched her hand slip out from her pocket, brandishing a sharp switchblade.

"I'm going to have to punish you, honey. I am your mother after all!" She suddenly broke out into howling laughter as she slowly stepped forward, towards the frozen old man, his body refusing to even move an inch.

"DOWN STINGER!" An unfamiliar voice shouted, making Clark quickly turn his head both ways, watching as his surroundings turned back to normal; his eyes still wide, he quickly turned to see that Akiko had her back turned to him.

Akiko nearly screamed as she felt a cold, black wire stick into her abdomen for only a moment, since that was all it took for an intense electrical shock throughout her slender frame, making her scream in intense anguish.

Clark quickly ran to see what was going on, though he could not help but pull out his bulldog revolver, attempting to aim it carefully, but his muscular frame was still shaking.

He was able to see a young man with wavy black hair parted to one side of his head with a strange metallic Stand behind him, and an older man with a strange face, his nose seemingly pushed further in, with a black fog hanging around his body.

"Old guy, go take care of that other kid! Josiah and I can handle this!" Warut shouted as Stratovarius tightened around his body, allowing him to quickly fly over to the left side of Akiko's face and deliver a swift punch.

"Shit!" Clark growled angrily as he rushed over to Nico, his body still slumped up against the brick house that he had tried so hard to lure Akiko away from.

Clark kneeled down to meet with the younger man's face, and it seemed that he was still awake and watching everything that unfolded, his eyes slowly looking to meet with Clark's, shallow breaths exiting his lungs.

"Thank you," Nico murmured, a small smile forming on his face as he sighed, "But, I think my time is up… I want to pass something onto you, though. Quite a few things…"

"Don't say it's over," Clark said, panting heavily as his muscular body slowly stopped shaking, "Kid, you're gonna be fine. I'm sorry I didn't get here in time."

"No, it is over," Nico assured him, coughing as a bit of fresh blood fell from his mouth, "She completely destroyed my internal organs by just punching me… so, please, listen to what I have to say before my body gives out. When she put her hand on your head, you were just standing there, frozen… and she was prepared to kill you. I don't know what she did, but her range must be impressive, since before you arrived, my surroundings were changing… they might be connected. One more thing…"

"Okay," Clark nodded, not attempting to argue with this young man and waste time, though he desperately did not want to take his word for it, "I'll keep that in mind. What else do you need to say, soldier?"

"My love, Jin," Nico coughed, this time it was a bit more rough as tears formed at the edges of his eyes, "Please, tell her I did my best to protect her… she will be coming out of Bones once I pass, so please, make sure Akiko does not lay a single finger on her."

"I promise." Clark said firmly, slowly raising up one of his hands to salute the young man as he slowly closed his blue eyes, all tension leaving his beaten and bruised body.

"It's okay…" Nico murmured before one last breath left his worn body, his arms falling to the concrete underneath him.

 **Nico Andreaccio… has died.**

"Get off, you little shits!" Akiko screamed in annoyance as The Plot In You swiftly threw a punch at Warut, sending him into the icy concrete, a pain filled groan following.

"You're not getting away!" Josiah declared as both of Downplay's fists embedded themselves into The Plot In You's gut, repeating the process until the enemy Stand retaliated, punching the metallic Stand in the chin.

"Today is not my day!" Akiko quickly stood back as her Stand brought its pair of scissors down the air, a portal suddenly appearing in front of her; before anyone could land another hit, she quickly dived inside, the portal closing almost instantaneously.

"Damn it!" Clark shouted, frustrated as Bones suddenly phased out from Nico's body, its jaw suddenly unhinging, which prompted the older man to look at it, confused as to just what it was doing.

Slowly, Jin stepped out from Bones' mouth, looking from left to right to try and spot Nico, only for her to look below Bones; her eyes widened, though they soon looked up at the hulking Stand, which bent down on its knees.

Bones gave a reassuring pat on Jin's head before slowly fading out of existence, its empty eyes looking into hers as it completely disappeared.

Jin's body didn't even shake as she stared down at Nico's corpse in silence, her hands weakly moving with the breeze as she turned away, her seafoam green eyes barely even wide as her feet slowly carried her away from the scene.

"I'll talk to you damn kids about this later," Clark said as he looked over to the young woman who had been slowly but surely walking away from her lover's body, "One of you needs to make sure Jin gets home safely."

"I'll go," Josiah replied as he walked towards the woman, his sky blue eyes focusing on her as he shook slightly, "I'm pissed that Akiko got away, but I think I better make sure she doesn't go after Jin on her way home. You said you're gonna talk to us later, right? Warut will give you my address, so stop by tomorrow."

"Josiah," Warut murmured, almost completely shocked as he watched his friend walk away calmly, despite having faced Sophia's killer, "I don't know how he's containing himself… come on, old man, we gotta take care of the body."

"Jin," Josiah spoke, his voice unfamiliar to the woman who slowly turned to face him, "I'm going to take you home, so she doesn't come after you. Are you fine with this?"

Jin merely nodded, not bothering to see if he was following as she continued to walk, her hands slipping into her jacket pockets as she did not even bother to make a sound, her lips not even quivering.

[Ten minutes pass…]

"I'm sorry for not coming sooner," Josiah said, his voice low as he looked down the snow covered road, "I probably could have done something, but… I wasn't fast enough."

"It's okay," Jin mumbled, her green eyes looking nowhere but forward, "I have a Stand, too, so I should have done something…"

"Don't say that," Josiah retorted, looking towards the smaller woman who did not dare to take her eyes off of the road, "You might have a Stand, but from what I understand, he wanted to keep you safe. It wasn't your fault."

"O-Okay." Jin stammered softly, doing her best to try and show him that she was alright, but that facade was obviously not working, shown by the fact that her voice was shaking.

It did not take too long for them to find her home, and Josiah had stopped her before she went inside; he quickly pulled out a tiny slip of paper, extending his hand over to her so she would take it from him.

"Here's my phone number," Josiah said as she took it from his hands slowly, her eyes staring down at the pavement, "You can help us with tracking Akiko down if you want, but I understand if you don't want to… it's probably stupid of me to even say that, but either way, feel free to call me if you want to talk. I know how it feels to lose someone close to you… goodnight, Jin."

Josiah gave her a quick nod before watching her take the first step towards her door, soon turning his back to her home after, unsure if he made the right choice in offering her to help him and his friends out with finding Akiko.

Jin opened her front door slowly, looking towards the street as Josiah walked down it at a steady pace, her bottom lip now quivering as a tear slipped down her face.

"Goodnight."

[The next morning…]

February 27th, 10:30 AM.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Clark shouted as he slammed his fist against Josiah's apartment wall, his eyes filled with anger as he stomped towards the young man, "Do you have a death wish?! You were up against Akiko Mikami!"

"Yeah, I know," Josiah said calmly, sighing as he looked up at the older man who looked like he was about to burst like a balloon, "It's not like I was gonna let her kill me, if that's what you think, I might have been able to beat her."

"Do you think that just because you have a Stand, that you have the _right_ to fight in a war you're not prepared for?!" Clark nearly screamed as he walked around the living room of Josiah's apartment, a heavy, annoyed sigh leaving his lips.

"What makes you so different? You had a Stand and you tried to fight her!" Josiah argued, who slipped out from his sofa, his feet carrying him over to Clark who had stopped in his tracks.

"I served my country, I've seen shit that would turn you white as ghosts. I'm probably the only one for miles that can go against a psycho like her, hell, I trained my body before I trained my Stand! You're nowhere near ready to fight against her!" Clark protested, leaving Josiah utterly speechless before he sighed deeply.

"She killed my friend," Josiah murmured, his sky blue eyes meeting Clark's faded violet eyes as he clenched his fists, "How do you know how dangerous Akiko is?"

"Don't be so impatient to see them again," Clark responded, shaking his head before turning away from the younger man, "I'm the reason she was in jail in the first place, and I was sure I scared her shitless, but I was wrong. She has an ability that I didn't even know about, so she must have learned it recently."

"Goddamn it," Josiah grumbled before walking back over to his sofa, "What else can she do? She has immeasurable strength, she can create a portal, what else could she possibly do?"

"I think she can alter reality, but I believe she can only do it for one person at a time," Clark answered, rubbing his chin, "When she altered reality for me, it didn't affect you or your friend, and I'm guessing her Stand's range is fairly short, at most it might be three meters."

"So, as long as we're in a group, we should be fine," Josiah replied, groaning in irritation as he stomped one of his feet against the floor, "I was so damn close! You better know that I'm not going to stop going after her."

"That'll be how you die," Clark responded, almost nonchalantly, "I'm going to be in town until I've managed to take her down, so you're going to see a lot of me. I left my phone number on your table, so you can call me if you find anything out."

"You can call the Speedwagon Foundation, too," Josiah offered, crossing one leg over the other as he leaned back into his sofa, "My mother and my grandfather are experienced Stand users, so you might like working with them a bit more."

"I'll think about it," Clark said as he stepped towards the front door to the apartment, "Let me know how that girl is doing the next time you see her."

"Will do." Josiah said, watching as Clark shut the door behind him, leaving the younger man to stare up at his ceiling.

He quickly walked over to his door, locking it as he stepped back, being able to feel tears form on the sides of his sky blue eyes, his hands shaking as he ran his two hands over his face.

"I was so close…"

[Elsewhere, hours later...]

11:00 PM.

Damon sighed, sitting on a bench in the local park with one leg crossed over the other, the cool winter breeze not bothering him one bit as he looked up at the sky, feeling slightly melancholy.

"You know, I know you're behind me," Damon turned his head to see Akiko standing behind him, her Glasgow smile uncovered, "You seem really mad, what happened? You look just as pissed off as I was."

"We're going to kill them," Akiko said, smiling widely as her body shook erratically, "We're going to kill all of them, slowly, and painfully. I'll kill everyone in this city just to get to them, I will kill every single one of them, especially that old man..."

"You're speaking my language," Damon chuckled, "Why don't you go on a spree? You've earned it, after all... I had to go on one after I was caught. Just thinking about it makes me want to take someone's neck, and bend it..."

"I can't wait to get my hands on that girl!" Akiko's angry demeanor changed to one of cheerfulness, her fingers wriggling as she slipped onto the bench, "And you're going to help me torture her!"

"Of course."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Clark Kubrick  
Age: 64  
Stand: Voltaire  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - A  
Range - A for the bullets, E for the Stand itself.  
Precision - B  
Durability - D  
Development Potential - E


	22. Three Strikes, You're Out, Jin!

_**Three Strikes, You're Out, Jin!**_

March 1st, 12:00 PM.

"Hello?" A shy voice called out from behind the apartment door, two knocks following it; Josiah quickly walked over to the front door, opening it to see that Jin was standing behind it, her green eyes slowly looking towards him.

"Oh, hi! You could have just called, you know!" Josiah spoke cheerfully, moving out of the way to let her step inside of his apartment, soon closing the door after she did so.

"I know," Jin spoke softly, standing next to the sofa as she stared down at the floor, one of her hands curling up into a fist, "I want to thank you in person for trying to help when you could, and your friend did his best, too. I don't know where the old man is, but… I'm really grateful."

"It's no problem, I swear," Josiah extended his hand to her, smiling warmly towards the woman, "We never really introduced ourselves. I'm Josiah Joestar, it's a pleasure to meet you! You look a lot taller than before."

"I'm Jin Kovich," Jin gave him a small smile in return, firmly shaking his hand, though she could barely hide the fact that her arm was shaking, "It's nice to meet you too, and, uh, sorry… I'm not used to meeting new people."

"I see," Josiah gave her a nod before slipping onto his sofa, crossing one leg over the other, "Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about? You can have a seat if you want."

"Thanks," Jin nodded her head slightly before taking a seat on the sofa, slowly descending as she looked away from him, "I don't know if I want to help track down that killer… I mean, who am I to do something like that? I guess I need to think about what Nico would do."

"You need to figure out what's best for you," Josiah suggested, his concerned gaze unseen, "I'm sure that Nico inspired you, and played a huge role in your life, but… well, I can't speak for him, really. This is really none of my business, but I think you need to think about what you would do."

"Yeah," Jin turned, her green eyes staring down at the sofa cushions as she twiddled her thumbs, "Uh, if I can ask… why are you going after her? Isn't it really dangerous, even with a Stand?"

"I lost someone, too," Josiah admitted, "I didn't see any other option than to take her on, so I could protect the people I love. I guess Nico was the same, right? He did everything he could to protect you."

"H-how DARE you?! Nico did his best and he still died for me! I-I don't care if you think you're the same, or if you're better than him, I-I just!" Jin's sudden outburst shocked Josiah, thinking he should reach out to her, but she only pulled herself off from the sofa.

"Jin, wait!" Josiah begged as she stomped towards the front door, suddenly swinging it open and shutting it, rattling the walls. "Please!"

[Ten minutes later…]

Jin sat on the metal bleachers on the south side of the park, her hands covering her face as tears streamed down, unsure if she was completely alone; she had not heard anyone approach her, so she should have been clear for the moment, though that thought soon disappeared as she heard small footsteps from just a few feet away.

"Miss? Are you okay?" A gentle, unwavering voice was followed by the set of footsteps climbing up the bleachers, which prompted Jin to uncover her seafoam green eyes, her arms attempting to wipe her tears off her face; she had seen a rather young boy with a baseball cap on, his messy black hair poking out from it, he had also been wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black shorts.

"H-huh? I'm fine, sorry," Jin quickly rubbed her eyes, trying to hide them away from the child, "I'm just tired, that's all. Was I in the way of something?"

"But you were crying," the child pointed out, tilting his head in confusion, "No, I just got here… my mom dropped me off while she's at work for the next two hours, so I don't really have anything to do. So, why were you crying, miss?"

"I've just had a rough day, I promise," Jin only half-lied, feeling somewhat guilty that she had to dance around the question, "Don't worry about me, okay? I can try to keep you company while your mom's gone, but I can go away if you want me to."

"No, stay! None of my friends are here, so I need someone to play with," the boy took his two hands and placed them on top of Jin's, a wide smile on his face, "My name is Ryo Saburo! What's your name, miss?"

"Jin Kovich, but you can just call me Jin," She looked down at his significantly smaller hands, doing her best not to ruffle the boy's hair, "You want me to play with you? Well, what do you wanna do?"

"How about baseball? It's my favorite game! C'mon, follow me!" Ryo suddenly jumped down each bleacher, his shoes showing signs of wear and tear as he stood in the short grass several feet away from the bleachers, and Jin followed, though she stood at least twelve feet away from him.

"I don't have a bat," Jin started, stretching out her arms with a sigh, "So I think we might just have to play catch, is that okay?"

"Don't worry, I have one!" Ryo reassured her as a featureless man phased out from his body, as if it was a mannequin, though it only wore a strange uniform that was white with red stripes running through it, a wooden bat in his left hand and a baseball in his right; it had also stood at six feet tall.

 _That's a Stand!_ Jin thought to herself as she looked up, noticing that clear lines with grey edges started to run into the air, before embedding themselves into the ground, forming a barrier that surrounded them, nearly covering the entire park.

"Can you see him? He has a bat!" Ryo announced, smiling brightly as he stood next to the featureless man. "I dunno what's up with his face, but I think I gave him a really cool name! I call him The Outfield!"

"Well, I have a bat, too! So he can drop his and be the pitcher!" Jin announced as a lime green aura surrounded her body, a dull sword suddenly phasing into her left hand, which she then held like a wooden bat.

"That's a weird looking bat, but okay! We don't have any more players, so how are we gonna do this?" Ryo asked, impatient as he circled around the featureless man that was only two feet away from him, his index finger on his lip as he attempted to find ideas within his brain.

"I have a few ideas," Jin started, loosely holding onto her Stand, "I'll use Erratas, my sword here, as a bat, and The Outfield throws the ball. Whenever I hit the ball, and you're unable to catch it, that's a point for me; when the ball misses me and I can't hit it or knock it back, you get a point, and whoever gets four points first wins."

"That sounds like a good idea to me! Let me know when you're ready!" Ryo called out, standing to the left side of The Outfield, the latter bending down slightly to focus its aim.

"Here we go," Jin murmured to herself, bending her knees as the grip on her Stand tightened, her seafoam green eyes locked onto The Outfield as her aura flared, "I'm ready!"

Without a moment's hesitation, The Outfield tossed the baseball which rocketed towards Jin, who swung her dull blade at the side of it; as she did so, the ball spun against her blade, pushing her feet back as she grunted.

"You can do it, Outfield!" Ryo cheered on his Stand as sparks flew off of Erratas, simply from the friction being made; Jin diverted her strength to move her dull blade downward, sending the speeding baseball into the dirt, which made bits of grass fly up.

 _What kind of power was behind that throw?! If that hit me directly, it could have broken my neck…_ Jin thought to herself as she wiped sweat from her brow, looking over to Ryo, completely dumbfounded by The Outfield's strength.

"So, I get that point, right?" Ryo gave her an ignorant smile, as if he himself did not know the force that his Stand held; suddenly, the baseball below Jin disappeared, and reappeared in The Outfield's right hand.

"Y-yeah, one for you," Jin replied, still shocked as she moved back a foot or two, "I don't think I was ready for that, though, you're really strong!"

"Thank you, I'm sure you are, too!" Ryo returned the compliment, stretching out his arms as his Stand suddenly bent down again, preparing to throw yet another ball, "Let me know when you're ready!"

 _Erratas can rearrange the molecular structure of anything it hits, to give itself an advantage… I just have to wait until I can hit that ball enough to give it the physical properties of a bouncy ball!_ Jin thought to herself as she bended her knees once more, motioning her right hand to let him know she was ready.

"Go!" Ryo cried as his Stand tossed the ball once more, this time it was slightly slower, allowing Jin to quickly hit the side of it with her dull blade; her lime green aura spiked as she managed to knock it back at an even faster speed.

The Outfield suddenly dived forward, grabbing the baseball as it zoomed towards the Stand, its right hand managing to stop the ball in its tracks; with a relieved sigh, Ryo watched as the tall figure walked towards him.

"That's two points to you," Jin panted, clutching her knees as her green eyes looked over to him, utterly astounded at the young boy's abilities, "I was sure I was going to catch you off guard that time."

"I guess not! You better get ready, he's gonna throw the ball again in ten more seconds!" Ryo announced as The Outfield bent its knees again, clutching the ball tightly as it stared directly at Jin and her dull blade.

 _This kid needs to watch his strength… he could seriously hurt someone if he isn't careful; the ball's molecular structure should be different for the most part by now, so I should be able to catch him off guard._ Jin thought to herself as beads of sweat rolled down her face, her hands sore just from the tight grip she had on her blade.

"Here's my third point!" Ryo gloated as The Outfield hurled the baseball towards Jin, who quickly swung her dull blade just as the ball came in contact, though it seemed that it was at an odd angle; Erratas was on top of the baseball, suddenly striking it at a down angle, and it would seem like Jin had made a mistake.

The baseball bounced off of the ground like rubber, slowing slightly as it whizzed towards The Outfield, which held out its right hand; Ryo grunted audibly as his Stand's feet dug themselves into the ground while the baseball nearly crashed against its chest.

"O-Outfield?" Ryo stammered, almost yelling in desperation; luckily, his Stand was able to take its hand and grab the baseball, soon coming to a stop, giving Ryo a thumbs up afterward, "Oh, you're okay! Woo, three points!"

"Are you sure you want to keep going, Ryo? I don't want to end up hurting your friend or anything." Jin said this out of genuine concern, her lime green aura wavering despite the fact that the young boy shook his head.

"Nope, I'm not stopping until I win! But, uh, what did you do to the ball? I've never seen it bounce like that!" Ryo looked confused yet excited as he crossed his arms, examining the ball that was in The Outfield's hand, seeing that nothing on the outside had changed.

"Well, to explain it so it's easy to understand," Jin began, moving her blade to her other hand, "Erratas can basically change the tiniest parts of the ball into different things, even weakening if it wants to or if I choose to; so, Erratas made it move like a bouncy ball."

"That's so cool! But, I'm still gonna win!" Ryo declared as he gave her a wide grin, showing his pearly white teeth as his The Outfield reeled its arm back, preparing itself to throw the ball as hard as it possibly could.

Jin turned her head to look behind her for a moment, seeing that there were a few sturdy trees; putting a hand on her chin as a few thoughts ran through her head, she gripped Erratas again, her grip as tight as it could be.

"Here it comes!" Ryo gave her a warning shout as his Stand pitched the baseball towards the blunt sword, though Jin quickly stepped to the side as the ball rocketed towards her; as it passed, she managed to barely hit the ball as it moved at a breakneck speed.

The baseball came in contact with one of the oak trees, then bounced off of it; it immediately bounced back towards The Outfield as it made its way past Jin, the former's right hand extended towards the ball before dashing towards it.

 _What? His Stand is running towards it?!_ Jin thought, shocked as the Stand nearly fell on its back, the ball pushing against its right hand, the tall figure doing its best to seize it, though it didn't seem possible; summoning energy from its deep reserve of strength, it quickly took the ball and squeezed it, burning its in the process, though it managed to stop it.

"Oh, wow," Ryo panted, sitting on the ground as he looked over at Jin, "My hand kinda hurts now… you're really good at baseball, Jin! I wanna do this more!"

"Maybe some other time, I'm really tired too." Jin nodded as Erratas phased out from her hand, the barrier that Ryo had made slowly dissipating as its physical body faded away as well, giving its user a nod.

"Yay, I won!" Ryo cheered as he ran up to Jin, taking off his cap as he danced around the older woman, his body nearly drenched in sweat; she found that odd, seeing that he didn't move much, so it must have meant that using his Stand took a toll on him.

"Good job, you did it!" Jin ruffled his hair like a proud parent would, her body slowly turning to see that Josiah was sitting on the steel bleachers, smiling softly as she noticed him; she walked towards him, confused, "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried, so I wanted to make sure you were okay," Josiah informed her, crossing his arms as he looked towards the young boy, "I got here around the time you started playing, but you didn't notice me. It seems like you had a good time!"

"Wait, you're not mad at me for yelling at you?" Jin asked, bewildered as she opened her mouth to speak some more, but Josiah only shook his head.

"Don't apologize, I should be the one saying sorry," Josiah admitted, slowly standing up so he could walk off the bleachers, "It was insensitive of me to say something like that, so I hope you can forgive me. If you don't, I can't really blame you."

"N-no, it's fine! I forgive you," Jin smiled as well, being sincere in her words as her expression softened, "I think I've made up my mind… what Nico would do and what I would do are the same thing. We would both go after Akiko, so… I'm in, no matter what!"

"You can back out at any time, but okay, you're a part of our team now!" Josiah nodded, looking towards Ryo, who made his way over to the two of them.

"Huh? Is this your friend, Jin? Do you think we could play together?!" Ryo asked excitedly, his eyes sparkling as he hopped up and down in excitement.

"Whoa, slow down there, tiger! Whenever I'm not so busy, I'll get a bunch of my friends and we can all play together, how does that sound?" Josiah offered, ruffling the boy's messy and sweat drenched black hair.

"Yeah, that sounds awesome!" Ryo cheered, smiling brightly as he quickly turned to Jin. "My mom is gonna be on break soon, so she's going to pick me up for lunch! Will I see you later?"

"Of course!" Jin replied enthusiastically, "Whenever I get the chance, I'll come back and play more with you, okay?"

"Okay! I'll see you later!" Ryo spoke loudly before running off, leaving the two to turn their backs and slowly walk away.

"Uh, Josiah," Jin started, smiling nervously, placing a hand over her stomach as it growled loudly, "Do you think we can get something to eat too?"

"Sure!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Ryo Subaru  
Age: 12  
Stand: The Outfield  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - A  
Durability - C  
Precision - A  
Range - A  
Development Potential - D


	23. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You!

_**Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You!**_

March 2nd, 11:00 AM.

Irene nimbly dodged an incoming fist from Josiah, her body swiftly dashing towards him as she rose one of her legs, bashing it against his gut; as Josiah groaned, Downplay phased out from his body and threw its own punch at the older woman.

Stone Free countered immediately, grabbing Downplay's fist and pulling it down, its knee soon meeting with the metallic Stand's face which caused Josiah to recoil, blood leaking out from his nose as Irene let Downplay go.

"Shit!" Josiah bit down on his bottom lip as he backed up, wiping the fresh blood from his nose; just a moment later, he attempted to deliver a kick to her gut, only for his mother to grab his incoming foot, preparing to let go so he would fall on the floor of his apartment.

As Josiah's back hit the floor, Downplay jumped out from his body, rapidly punching against Stone Free's gut before finally giving it a hard kick to the chest, making Irene stop for a moment, her hand clutching her shirt tightly.

"O-okay, that's enough," Irene coughed as she slipped onto her son's sofa, holding her gut as her body ached, "You barely got any hits in on me by yourself, you need to work on that."

"Well, I didn't spend most of my life fighting," Josiah made an excuse, sighing as he slipped onto the sofa as well, "I'll get better… you really fucked me up, mom."

"I had no choice but to go all out," Irene gave her son a pat on the head, giving him a small smile, "I don't wanna see my own kid overpower me. Besides, even though it's just training, I like spending time with my son."

"I've been wanting to talk to you about that," Josiah added, staring down at his shoes as he panted heavily, "Even after you got home from killing Dion, you didn't really spend time with me, even when I was growing up. You always said that you're busy, but was that really the case?"

"I was a lot more busy than you think, Josiah," Irene replied, looking over to her son, her eyes focusing on him as she spoke sincerely, "I had to manage the Speedwagon Foundation, I had to work almost every night, and I'm still the head of it… I'm sorry for not being there for you when you were a kid, I know nothing I say or do could ever make up for that; after all of this is over, I promise I'll be around more often."

"Thank you, mom," Josiah responded, feeling a lump forming in his throat as he looked back to his mom, "Uh, anyway… I think you were supposed to get a call soon, weren't you?"

Before Irene managed to answer, she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket; she quickly held up a single finger before taking the phone out from her pocket, pressing it to her left ear.

"This is Clark Kubrick, this is Irene Joestar, right?" Clark's gruff voice made itself loud and clear through the cell phone, making Josiah sigh as his mother slipped off of the sofa.

"Yeah, this is her," Irene replied, walking towards the kitchen, "Josiah told me you would be calling, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"I want to know what kind of operation you're leading," Clark informed, though he continued before the younger woman could answer, "You do know that Akiko Mikami is a psychopath that will stop at nothing to kill who she pleases, right? Your son and one of his friends were fighting her, is that your definition of a plan?"

"My son is very skilled as a Stand user, Kubrick," Irene stated, leaning against the apartment wall as she sighed, "There are more of them that can hold their own in a fight, too. They're young, but they can handle themselves."

"I want to meet them so I can see what they're like, and I want to know what their abilities are," Clark told her, taking a quick breath before continuing, "I'll be heading over to your son's apartment in an hour so we can come up with a plan."

"See you then," Irene ended the phone call and put it back into her pocket, turning around to look at her son, "Well, call up your friends. I gotta go for now to try and find Damon, so good luck with the old man."

"It's always here," Josiah grumbled as he snatched his cell phone off from his table, "Why do we always gotta meet here?"

[One hour and thirty minutes pass…]

"Are these your friends, Mister Joestar?" Clark asked, his faded violet eyes moving across the room to see the various different men and women, "Since you are all involved this, you do know that this is not a game, right?"

"Of course we know," Dororesu spoke knowingly, leaning to the left slightly as she put her hand on her right hip, "If we thought this was a game, none of us would even be alive right now; we know who we're dealing with."

"Good," Clark set his briefcase against the wall, crossing his arms as he stood in front of the doorway, "My name is Clark Kubrick, and I am a Stand user. I'm sixty four years old, I served in the United States Military in 1990 during the gulf war, and I have experience with the batshit insane killer that you're trying to catch. I'll be asking you what your abilities are, but I will say this; once you agree to stay in this operation, you're not backing out."

Josiah sat on his sofa with a hand on his face, embarrassed as Clark looked over him and his five friends; he suddenly stopped to look at Taiga, who had been leaning against the wall closest to the window.

"Did you serve?" Clark asked as he looked towards her prosthetic right arm, rubbing his chin before looking over to her, only to see that she shook her head.

"No, it's my Stand," Taiga answered, patting her right arm with her other hand, "I call it Over and Over, it lets me copy and paste anything that it grabs... also, my name is Taiga. I don't have a last name, so don't ask for it."

"You have a lot of versatility then," Clark gave her a nod of approval, stepping back a few feet to look her over, "You should consider a utility belt, it'll come in handy. You're also very fit, so you're probably capable as a fighter. I'm impressed."

Clark turned to see Shinnosuke, who was shaking and sweating in nervousness, so he walked a bit closer to him, somewhat confused at the young man's behavior.

"You're all shook up," Clark said, prompting Shinnosuke to look up at him as sweat rolled down his face, "If you're so nervous about this, why are you a part of this operation? You don't look like you want to be here."

"I do," Shinnosuke shook his head, the shaking ceasing somewhat as his hands gripped his knees, "I've never come in contact with anything like this before, so it's only natural for me to act like this. I'm going to help until the end, whether I end up dead or not."

"That's admirable," Clark stated, noticing that the young man's shaking nearly fully stopped, "But, you need to keep your anxiety in check. If the enemy sees that you're afraid, they'll take advantage of that; you're determined, I can tell, so I'll leave that up to you. What's your name?"

"Shinnosuke," the young man gave him a nod, his shaking soon coming to a full stop as he sighed deeply, "My name is Terunosuke Fujiwara, but just call me Shinnosuke, it's my pen name."

"Alright, I'll remember that," Clark nodded slightly, turning to see Warut walking up to him with a strange purple mist surrounding his muscular frame, "Alright, then who are you?"

"My Stand is Stratovarius, and my name is Warut Mizushima," Warut said as the much older man turned to him, the latter not even flinching at Warut's mangled face, the latter pointing his finger over to his daughter, "It lets me fly, makes me more flexible, and a lot of other shit! The girl right by me is my daughter, Dororesu."

"You're also incredibly versatile," Clark gave him a nod, turning to Dororesu who simply took out a water bottle and tossed it into the air, the water soon forming into a machete, "You can create blades out of liquid… that'll come in handy."

"I can also make them out of fire and my own blood, though that makes me a little dizzy," Dororesu informed him before he turned over to Jin, who was sitting on the sofa next to Josiah with one leg over the other, "I probably shouldn't do it too often."

"Uh, Erratas can change the molecular structure of anything it hits," Jin started, brushing her black hair back as she looked away from the older man, "For example, I could change the structure of a baseball to the point where it's more like a bouncy ball. Erratas isn't that strong on its own, but it's really durable, so this ability really comes in handy sometimes."

"Ease up, you're not in trouble," Clark joked, but it was hard to tell as the serious demeanor on his face barely even shifted, "That'll be useful, I believe that. What about you, Josiah?"

"Well," Josiah started, looking up as Clark crossed his arms, waiting for him to speak up, "Downplay is really strong physically, it can extend one of the wires hanging off of its fingers and jam it into someone, electrocuting someone; in desperate battles, I can have Downplay disconnect the index finger on its right hand, and set a time on it, say ten seconds. When the time is up, I reset back to the condition I was in ten seconds ago, and I reappear where the finger is."

"I see," Clark rubbed his chin as he gave off a small smirk, "You'll be on the front lines, then, or do you object to that? You're still alive, so you must be handling your Stand well, just let me ask you something; can your Stand save you from death if you're killed while the countdown is still going?"

"I don't know," Josiah replied honestly, admittedly having thought of it before, "I don't want to find out, either. I want to keep from getting stabbed in the chest or gutted, so I might just be a lucky guy for all I know."

"Alright," Clark sighed, looking over the rest of them, "Thank you for coming by, if you come in contact with Akiko Mikami, call me or Irene Joestar if you can't reach me. I'm going to need your cooperation to take Akiko down for good; before you all leave, Jin, I want you to talk with me while we walk."

"Before you go, Clark," Josiah interrupted, stepping towards him as his sky blue eyes locked onto Clark's faded violet eyes, "I want to talk to you before you leave, but it has to be in private. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Alright, see ya, Josiah!" Warut gave his friend a slap on the back before dashing out from the apartment room, the others following him, though not as eagerly or quickly as he did, but Jin stayed behind.

Josiah shut his door as soon as their footsteps faded, signaling him that they were far away enough for him to speak; he leaned against his door, looking over at Clark as he crossed his arms, looking somewhat curious.

"Why didn't you ask Shinnosuke what his Stand does? That seemed really weird to me," Josiah plainly stated, "Was it because he seemed scared?"

"Some people can't speak so easily under stress," Clark began, walking towards Josiah, who slowly slipped away from the apartment door, "If any of us pressured him, he might have backed down, and we don't want that."

"Well, you hit the nail on the head," Josiah responded, admitting that Clark was right, "Shinnosuke is really anxious most of the time, though some of it has to do with his Stand. I'll let you ask him about it later, it's not really my place to talk about it."

"Okay, I understand," Clark motioned for Jin to follow as he opened up the apartment door, hearing the young woman follow from behind, "I'll speak with you later, so, goodbye for now."

"See ya."

[Ten minutes pass…]

Clark tucked his right hand into his beige jacket, biting off a piece of beef jerky before looking over to Jin, who had been staring down at the snow laden sidewalk for the past few minutes; cars zoomed past, but not many people seemed to be walking around.

"Just to make sure, are you sure that you want to be involved in this? Akiko Mikami killed your boyfriend, are you sure you have the bravery to face her in a fight?" Clark asked, his eyes shifting towards Jin who took a moment to process all that he just sad.

"Yeah, I think I can do it," Jin replied, her cheeks red as the cold breeze brushed against her skin, "Nico would have done the same, and it's something that I would do, too. I live in this city, I love this city… I can't just sit back and watch her tear apart everything I love, so I don't have any choice. I'm terrified, but… I have to do it."

"I hope you're right," Clark simply nodded before stopping on the sidewalk, "I want you to keep thinking it over, but the next time you say yes, it's for good. Think long and hard about it, so tell me what your answer is the next time you see me."

As Clark walked away, Jin could not help but ball her nearly numb hands into fists, her body shaking as she walked along the sidewalk, doing her best to hurry and find her home, before she lost it in public.

 _The truth is, I really don't want to do this… there's no way out, is there?_ Jin thought to herself as her bottom lip quivered, her feet taking her all the way back home.

[Later…]

9:30 PM, downtown Osaka.

Akiko Mikami slipped through a narrow alleyway, almost squeezed by the brick walls that were only a few feet apart from one another; she was following an unusual sound, similar to that of what a piano would create.

"Someone is just _trying_ to lure me out," Akiko murmured as she nearly slipped out from the alleyway, grunting as she came closer and closer to the light sound, "And it's working."

Akiko was almost shocked at what she saw, though she kept a cool and calm demeanor; in the middle of the street was a rather sharply dressed man, wearing a tuxedo, a pair of black dress pants, and black leather shoes, and his face seemed devoid of any facial hair.

He was sitting down on a piano bench, in front of him was a massive grand piano, being a sleek black in color; he paid no mind to the woman as his fingers danced across the black and white ivory keys, his face showing that he was sweating profusely as he played.

"This isn't the weirdest thing I've seen," Akiko chuckled as she approached him, one of her hands pulling down her mask, though he continued to press his worn down fingers against the keys, "Hello!"

Frederick – the man sitting at the piano bench - took at least ten more seconds, his fingers aching to the bone as he repeatedly hit several different notes; as he finished, he panted heavily and looked over at Akiko, waving back as he crossed one leg over the other.

"Hello, what is it that you want? I'm in the middle of rehearsal," Frederick responded, looking over at the woman with an unamused look on his face, not even reacting to the fact that she had pulled off her nurse's mask, "So, can you make this quick?"

"You don't know who I am?" Akiko questioned him, her perpetual Glasgow smile simply became an eyesore for him, as he cringed when he looked at it; as Frederick slipped off of the piano bench, he could see a crimson, fleshy figure phase out from her body.

"I know who you are, I just don't care that much," Frederick answered, sighing as he leaned against his grand piano, "So, you have powers similar to mine? That's a surprise, but don't think you're going to touch me. I just bought this tuxedo, and I'll thank you not to ruin it… can I get back to practice, now?"

"How rude," Akiko giggled, her sharp nails digging into her palms as she trudged forward, an intense orange aura coating her body, "I'm going to have to make sure to cut off your fingers, so you can't play that thing."

"Don't trifle with me," Frederick warned her, a white aura with a black outline surrounding his body and his piano, "I suppose you won't leave of your own volition, so I will convince you."

Frederick suddenly slipped back onto the piano bench, his worn out fingers rapidly pressing different keys, the aura surrounding his body flaring as his muscles slowly started to grow; oddly enough, his clothes did not strain as his body became much more muscular, and Frederick had looked as if he was a world famous body builder and not a musician.

"What the hell kinda ability do you have?" Akiko asked as she continued to step forward, though she could barely react as the well-dressed young man threw himself off from his piano bench, his left fist colliding with Akiko's face, sending her to the cold ground as blood spurted from her nose.

"It seems my music cannot give you a change of heart, as that is its main ability," Frederick announced, readjusting his tie as his aura suddenly spiked, a visible nerve showing on his head, "But I will pummel you until you apologize! I've worked for years as a musician, and I will not be made to look like a fool!"

"Damn brat, I'll show you!" Akiko picked herself up rather quickly, her Stand suddenly striking Frederick in the gut, sending him skidding back towards his grand piano, though he did not make any sounds as he did so.

"I feel sorry for you if that's all you have for me, killer," Frederick chuckled, cracking his knuckles as he angrily glared at Akiko, "My Stand gives me immense physical prowess, and I earn its durability. You're going to have to hit me a lot harder if you want to get a reaction out of me."

"Oh shut up," Akiko sighed, brushing back her dark hair, "You get worked up if you're insulted, how's that working out for you, kiddo? Are you embarrassed because no one actually likes what you do, or are you just that weak?"

"I said," Frederick's voice shook, tears starting to run down his face as he clenched his jaw, his breathing erratic, "Nobody insults my playing!"

Like a freight train, Frederick charged towards Akiko with a fist extended, The Plot In You throwing one of its own as well; he took the blow to the face as his own incoming punch met with Akiko's gut, making her reel back slightly.

"Is that all you got, killer?! SAY YOU'RE SORRY!" Frederick screamed as he felt blood seep out from his mouth, his fist coming in contact with Akiko's abdomen and then her face, repeating again and again until her Stand managed to catch both of his fists.

"Shut UP!" Akiko shrieked as her crimson Stand bashed its knee against Frederick's chin, and then tossed him back towards his piano, his body trembling as he coughed violently, fresh blood dripping from his mouth.  
"Damn you," Frederick murmured, glowering towards the woman as she picked up her nurse mask, her Stand pulling its scissor blade out from its body, raising it towards the air, "Are you going to kill me, you coward? Are you going to kill me, knowing I will continue to live on, my music touching hundreds of thousands of people, and you'll only be known as a filthy murderer?"

"You know, just to spite you, I won't kill you since you seem to be begging for it," Akiko licked her lips as The Plot In You moved the scissors through the cold night air, creating some sort of portal, "I'll let you lay there and writhe."

"Ha," Frederick chuckled as the slender woman stepped through the portal, watching it as it completely closed up, "Writhe, huh? If she didn't understand me when I said it loud and clear, then she'll never understand it; she's resigned herself to a life of murder, which, in all honesty, is the most pitiful and pathetic thing a human being could do. I've won."

[At Josiah's apartment, thirty minutes later...]

10:00 PM.

"So from what Nico saw, you were standing completely still while Akiko went in for the kill, but... you saw your mother. How do you think that works?" Josiah asked, watching as Clark tore off a piece of beef jerky with his teeth.

"We've had this conversation before, she can warp reality; but it only seems to be for one person, but I don't know," Clark swallowed, resting his free hand on his knee as he scratched at his chin, "She won't be able to do that when too many of us are around, but we don't know if she didn't get Nico because of her Stand's piss poor range. It's not something we can risk."

"We need to put her down quickly, though," Josiah argued, giving off an irritated sigh as he moved away from his drywall, his feet carrying him over to the older man sitting on his sofa, "There's no telling what someone like her might do if we leave her alone too long!"

"No war is won in a single night, Josiah Joestar," Clark informed him, ripping off yet another piece of beef jerky before setting it to the side, "Some wars last for days, weeks, months... even years, believe me; we have to strike at the right moment, only then will we ever have a chance of killing her. No matter who you might have lost to her, we can't take huge risks."

"Don't give me that shit!" Josiah nearly screamed, stomping over to Clark and stared down at him, his sky blue eyes wavering as he clenched his hands into tight fists, each of them shaking violently, "That monster took someone from me and you have the NERVE to tell me I can't do anything right now?!"

"JOSIAH!" Clark shouted back at him, though he was somewhat surprised when the young man did not even bother to flinch when he did so, "I understand how it feels, I do, and I'm sorry! I lost comrades and friends during my time in the war, I've lost family! But you can't let your emotions interfere with this operation, or Akiko will stab you in the chest and you won't even realize it, because you'll be screaming about how your friend is gone, and it's all because of her! YOU CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"

"But, but," Josiah stammered like a child would, knowing that his elder was right, but he simply could not bring himself to stop the tears that had begun to stream down his already flushed face, "How can I wait when her killer is right here?! I don't... I don't know what to do! Waiting here is killing me, and I have to keep doing this for god knows how long! I just... I can't..."

"Come here," Clark murmured as he slipped an arm around Josiah's shoulder, slowly but surely guiding him to his bathroom, "Look, I'm sorry, I am... the best way for you to get this out is to cry in the shower, let it all out. There's no shame in crying, but this might work better for you; listen, kid... you can never be something you're not, and you can't lie to yourself to hide how you really feel. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't do... I've lost comrades I was fond of, and I think of them every single day. Go on, Joestar."

"I... okay. I'll think about all this... " Josiah merely nodded, stepping into the bathroom as they finally made it to the bathroom, and Clark let the younger man step inside and lock the door; it only took a few moments until he heard the shower turn on, as well as a pitiful wailing that was hidden underneath it.

"You'll make everyone proud," Clark murmured to himself and gave off a small warm smile as he made his way back to the main room, setting himself back onto the sofa, "I know it."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Frederick Valli  
Age: 27  
Stand: Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You  
Stand Statistics  
Power - B  
Speed - A  
Durability - B  
Precision - A  
Range - C  
Development Potential - E


	24. Clark Kubrick Can't Catch A Break!

_**Clark Kubrick Can't Catch A Break!**_

March 3rd, 7:30 AM.

Jin groaned in annoyance as the cellphone on her cabinet rang obnoxiously, the incessant ringing driving her to nearly scream into her pillow; with a defeated sigh, she opened up her bedroom curtains to let the morning light shine through.

"Okay, okay, fine, I'm up!" Jin complained as she marched over to the wooden cabinet, her long black hair a tangled mess; as she ran her hand through it, she winced in pain as she pulled one of the tangles, her other hand grabbing the cellphone and flipping it open, then pressed it to her ear.

"This is Clark Kubrick, am I speaking to Jin?" Clark's gruff voice called out to her, and admittedly, it was not the first thing that Jin wanted to hear in the morning; she kept herself from sounding too annoyed as she opened her mouth to answer.

"Yeah, I'm up, what do you need?" Jin asked quietly, rubbing one of her eyes as she yawned, walking over towards her closet door while Clark responded.

"I'm going to be at your residence in half an hour, so I want you to get ready," Clark said matter-of-factly, "We're going to have a talk about your decision, and we're going to walk around town for a little while. Do you understand?"

"But, it's," Jin tried to think of an excuse, but nothing came to mind, "It's seven in the morning… I don't really have a choice, do I? Alright, see you then."

Jin ended the call and gripped the cell phone tightly, one of her arms sliding her closet open to reveal an assortment of clothes; getting ready in only thirty minutes would be a pain, as she liked to look her best, but she would have to make do with the time that was given to her.

[Thirty minutes pass…]

After a quick shower, Jin had managed to slip on a plain white undershirt, wearing a red and black flannel with a green cardigan over it; she put on a set of blue jeans as well, though as soon as she opened the door she could see that Clark was standing just a few feet away from her door.

"Good, you're not late," Clark commented as Jin locked her front door before shutting it, tucking the key away in her pocket, "We're going to talk for a while, and I also figured we could go to the shopping mall. Come on."

"R-right." Jin barely managed to speak as her teeth chattered from the brisk cold, her hands buried deep into the pockets of her cardigan as she stepped towards the old man, the both of them walking north slowly as a light snow fell from the grey sky.

"It's too cold for this shit," Clark murmured as he tore off a piece of beef jerky with his two of his fingers, slipping the piece into his mouth, "The mall is only a ten minute walk away from your house, so we have plenty of time until we get there… what do you think you're going to do?"

"You said I couldn't back out once I say I'm in," Jin started, clenching her already numbing hands into fists, "But… I don't have a choice, you know that; I know what she's done, and I won't run away after learning more about her. I'm one of the few Stand users in this city, so it's up to all of us to put a stop to this… if I didn't at least try, I would be an even more pathetic mess. No matter what, I won't run from this."

"Good answer," Clark responded, giving her a nod without even bothering to look at her, "You have a sense of duty, and you're so young… you'll do damn good, I know it. Let's walk around the shopping mall and discuss any ideas you might have, I have a few myself."

[At the Speedwagon Foundation Headquarters, Irene Joestar's office…]

8:00 AM.

"After Sixty Minute Man and I investigated the area, I'm sure that Damon Lustbader has been around there recently," Gustavo crossed one leg over the other, watching as Irene sighed, "It might be possible that he knows my Stand was there."

"Which is why we're going to investigate every inch of this city," Irene said, pressing her hands together as she leaned forward, "The bastard won't leave when we know so much about him, no where is safe for him to go to; he knows we'll find him, which is why he's desperate to kill us. Have you seen the news? Someone left a path of destruction in eastern Osaka, but only two or three people died, but there was rubble everywhere… so it looks like our killer is prone to hissy fits."

"How are either of you going to make a move when he knows you won't come to find him in broad daylight," Gustavo started, somewhat confused, "But he won't make a move because this building is stacked with guards who aren't afraid to shoot him on sight."

"It's the element of surprise that I need," Irene replied, stepping out from her black leather chair, "I have a few ideas, but not everyone can fight him… I need some of the others to focus on finding Akiko; Terunosuke Fujiwara, or as you know him, Shinnosuke, volunteered to track down Lustbader to try and stop him."

"Shinnosuke did, the guy who's so nervous all the time? Why would he want to help out in a situation that could easily result in getting himself killed?" Gustavo asked, bewildered by the fact that Shinnosuke had offered to fight with Irene.

"He told me that he can't just sit around and let more people die, which is something I expected," Irene crossed her arms, leaning against the wall by her chair, "That young man has a brave heart, no matter how badly he's shaking on the outside."

"Yeah, I guess so," Gustavo shrugged, scratching the back of his neck, "Who else is going to assist you in taking down Damon?"

"Dororesu Matsumae offered to help while Clark Kubrick is trying to organize the operation to take down Akiko," Irene informed him, yawning for a brief moment, "My father, Jothan Joestar, is helping along with Masujiro Keizo. I'm not going to be fighting directly, because I have a surprise planned for that Lustbader bastard."

"Huh? Well, what is it?" Gustavo asked, curious as Irene only smirked slightly, turning to him as it grew into a bigger smile, almost warm if it were not for subject that they were on.

"Now, if I told you that, would it be much of a surprise? You'll find out after the battle is over with, just keep up the investigation; I need his exact location, or this won't work." Irene put her left hand on her hip and walked out the door, leaving the man in silence.

"Uh… yes, ma'am."

[At Josiah's apartment…]

Taiga rummaged through Josiah's refrigerator for a few moments before taking out a ripe red apple, licking her lips as she got a good look at it; after shutting the refrigerator door, she placed the apple in her prosthetic hand, a sudden red glow emanating from it for a moment.

As if it was magic, a second apple instantly formed in Taiga's right hand, much to her satisfaction; chuckling happily, she jumped onto his sofa, leaning back into it before she took a bite out from her snack.

"You gonna thank me for that?" Josiah teased, revealing to her that he was only sitting a few inches from her, smirking; she nearly jumped out of her skin from the surprise, almost dropping the two apples but she managed to keep a tight grip on them.

"Jeez, man, you scared the shit out of me!" Taiga whined, her words muffled before she managed to swallow down her mouthful of fruit. "I made the second apple, so I'll only say thank you for the one! Besides, what are you doing home? Doesn't that Kubrick guy wanna do some stuff around here?"

"He wanted to talk to Jin about her decision," Josiah replied, sighing as his eyes slowly moved towards Taiga's prosthetic right arm, "I know this is none of my business, but… can I ask you something? I don't want to be inconsiderate or look like some kind of asshole."

"It's about my arm, isn't it? Okay, go ahead and ask." Taiga sighed, rolling her eyes as she took a huge chunk out from one of the apples, rolling the other one in her hand as she did so.

"Well," Josiah started, almost unsure if he should even continue to speak, "Does it ever bother you that your Stand is your arm? I don't really know how you lost it, but doesn't it bother you that you lost a limb somehow?"

"Not really," Taiga stated bluntly as she swallowed a piece of the apple, "It was a little over a year ago, I think? I was stealing food because I hadn't eaten in a few days, and this security guy comes up and blows my arm off; I don't know why, but before I bled out, this new arm came in. I don't hold a grudge against him, because if anything, he helped me survive indirectly… so if anything, I should be thanking him."

"I don't think I've ever heard anything like that before," Josiah said in response, his eyes wide with shock, "That's a good point, though… the way you got your Stand might be because you had the resolve to keep on living; mine only awakened after I met Sophia, and I was determined to make it through life happy."

"That makes a lot more sense, there's no way this ridiculous power would be a gift from a god or something," Taiga chuckled, tossing one of the apples into the air and catching it nonchalantly, "But, I'm wondering something… you know, I don't usually talk about these kinda things, but… are you okay? You've been a little more distant than usual."

"I didn't think you'd notice," Josiah joked, giving a weak laugh after doing so, "It's just been a rough few months, because, well, you know; but we're so close to catching Akiko, I don't have time to sit here and wallow in a pool of self-pity, which leads me to a question I've had for a while. Why are you helping us?"

"Why wouldn't I? You've all proven to be really good friends, or at the least, acquaintances; besides, you let me stay here and eat your food! The least I can do is help you out!" Taiga admitted, smiling brightly before she took another enormous bite out from the second apple.

"Huh, guess you're right," Josiah leaned back into the sofa, one leg crossed over the other as he heard Taiga munching, "What a lucky guy I am…"

[Back with Jin and Clark…]

Shopping Mall, 8:10 AM.

"Your name is Jin Kovich, right? Does anyone else in your family have a Stand?" Clark asked as he took a sip out from his coffee cup, setting it on the table as crowds of people walked around them, the food court packed.

"Both of my parents do, Maya and Frantz Kovich," Jin answered, pressing her lips to the straw poking out from her cup of soda for a second, "My dad's Stand is Starscape, but he never really told me what it does. My mom… her Stand's name was Bad Blood, and she told me it could generate ice. Why are you asking?"

"I needed to know if you were shot by the bow and arrow or not," Clark replied truthfully, "Irene Joestar told me about it, but it doesn't seem like that's a threat any more; looks like you were born with the ability to have a Stand. From what I've learned, most people can just earn it through resolve and determination… but to be born with that kind of power is probably means you have an incredibly powerful will residing in your soul."

"I, uh, guess so," Jin took another sip from her ice cold soda, lucky that the inside of the shopping mall had been rather warm, "They haven't been returning any calls, so I'm a little worried…"

Clark did not respond, though his faded violet eyes slowly followed a man that Jin could not see until she looked in the same direction; he had short, curly green hair and he seemed to be rather lanky, his skin pale as the lights bathed it, and he had also been wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

The man paid no mind to the two of them, however; he merely clenched his fists, hard enough that the duo were able to see the veins running through his arms. After this, he sighed deeply, and a figure phased out from his body.

It had to be at least only four feet tall, its body being a clean silver, and its head only had a rectangular slit for a mouth and two holes poked into its head for eyes; off its feet seemed to be engines which let it hover in the air, zooming around its user, its hands resembling the ends of a machine gun.

As Clark listened to its hands turn, it soon became clear what he was intending to do, no matter what the reason; he quickly took out his Charter Arms Bulldog and his Colt Python, waiting for him to make a move.

It seemed that it had been a mistake to do such a thing; the man suddenly turned towards the two of them, a flurry of bullets colliding with the ground beneath them, which prompted Clark to push Jin onto the floor, holding up the table to block the incoming fire.

"What the hell?!" Jin shouted, her voice shaking as she heard dozens upon dozens of footsteps rush away from the scene, their screams filling up the entire shopping mall; though, eventually, the firing came to a stop.

"You could see it," the man hissed, stepping towards the table slowly, "Old man, from the way you looked at me, you could definitely see my Altessa. Come on out, you have a Stand too, right?"

Clark heard a clicking noise, though he knew he would not be able to escape or land a solid blow on this man if he did not take a risk; he slowly lifted his head up, trying to get a glimpse of the man as he heard a few clicks emitting from his Stand.

Upon further inspection, he was able to see that the man had a screw in each side of his head, his weary green eyes looking down at Clark; before he could even open his mouth, the old man quickly pointed his Colt Python and fired, the bullet skidding across the man's left leg, the cloth tearing slightly as he grunted.

 _Damn it, I couldn't get a good shot! Those screws in his head… I think Irene Joestar told me about those._ Clark thought to himself as the man quickly charged towards him, his Stand flinging itself at him.

"No, you don't!" Jin declared as she suddenly swung her dull blade at Altessa, intending to send it back, only for it to fire once or twice; quickly changing direction, Jin managed to deflect one of the bullets away from Clark in the nick of time, sending it to the left of them now that the shopping mall had nearly cleared out, though distant cries could be heard.

"Not fast enough, apparently," the mysterious man stated bluntly as the other bullet penetrated Clark's foot, causing him to cringe but he did not dare to cry out in pain, "Well, that was simple… you know, that wouldn't have happened if you didn't look at me funny or try to attack me."

"You're a comedian, aren't you?" Clark chuckled, his muscular, seven foot tall Stand suddenly phasing out from his body, "I don't need to move to shoot at you, scumbag."

"You keep your mouth shut," Jin suddenly spoke before the man could open up his lips to speak as well, her fists clenched tightly, "Do you know what you're even doing? You fired at dozens of innocent people!"

"That's the point," he shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets as he stepped forward once more, "I mean, how else am I supposed to make Firestart proud of me, even in death?"

 _Firestart? Yeah, I've definitely heard that name, so this guy is just a crazy extremist, working for a lost cause… that's nothing new._ Clark backed up slightly as his navy blue aura surrounded him, but suddenly, Jin stood up.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jin's voice shook with anger, her intense green aura flowing over her as her dull blade began to phase in and out of existence, "But you're not going to run away, even if I am a coward!"

As Jin's Stand suddenly disappeared, something else completely different took its place; on her hands were now two pairs of black gauntlets, each with three, long slits between every other knuckle, and her aura only spiked as she stepped forward.

"Eh? Well, guess I didn't expect you to understand! Cyrus Steinberg will make Firestart proud!" Cyrus cried, his Stand rapidly firing rounds and rounds of bullets towards the woman; though, unexpectedly, three sharp blades extended out from each slit, slicing each of the bullets in half.

"Like I said," Jin stepped forward, clenching her fists tightly as she looked towards him, nothing but a fire burning in her seafoam green eyes, "You're not going to run away!"

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Jin Kovich  
Age: 20  
Stand – Erratas Act 1  
Stand Statistics  
Power – C  
Speed – C  
Range – C  
Precision – C  
Durability – A  
Development Potential – A


	25. Deus Vult

**_Deus Vult_**

March 3rd, 8:15 AM

Osaka's Shopping Mall.

"Your Stand changed," Cyrus commented, his Stand still aiming towards the woman as he rubbed his chin, curious, "How peculiar… you managed to move fast enough to slice the incoming bullets in half, that isn't good for me."

"You don't have the right to speak, so keep your mouth closed!" Jin demanded as she suddenly leaped over to him, her eyes quickly shifting over to Altessa which quickly fired twelve more rounds at the now brave woman; she could feel energy pump through her being as she suddenly swung at the bullets, smashing some of them into pieces, but others simply came to a stop and fell to the floor.

"Jin, move to the left!" Clark ordered, looking at her expectantly, though he smirked once she had managed to move; before Cyrus knew it, Clark suddenly charged forward as Voltaire jumped forward, smashing its fists against the lanky man.

"KA-BOO BOO BOO BOO BOOM!" Voltaire screamed, its inhuman voice nearly straining as it rang throughout the mall, its heavy fists colliding with Cyrus's body, again and again, eventually sending him flying at least ten feet away and into a table, his body slumping over as he groaned in agony.

"You get punched and you just can't stand up, huh?" Clark sighed, though he kept his distance, unsure if Cyrus was really down and out; Jin bent down to pick a bullet off from the floor, then carefully stepped towards the man.

"I'm not d-done!" Cyrus cringed as he tried to move his body, only to feel both sides of his body _snap_ , a sudden intense pain taking control of his body, though he was not immobile; before any other events could unfold, Altessa phased out from his body once more, aiming its machine gun-like hands towards Clark.

"You never learn, do you?!" Jin shouted as she suddenly tossed the bullet five feet forward, watching as it bounced into the air and then penetrated Altessa's left shoulder; this caused Cyrus to nearly scream, but it seems he was unable to do so as he finally went under.

"I just can't catch a break," Clark murmured to himself before walking over to Cyrus, tossing the man's lanky body over his broad right shoulder, "Someone's always trying to cause trouble, so it's a good thing we were here. I'll call the Speedwagon Foundation to let them know what happened… also, Jin, thank you. You did a damn good job."

"Oh, uh," Jin's cheeks turned into a bright red, embarrassed by the compliment, "Thank you, it was nothing… people like that are disgusting, so I couldn't help it."

"Right," Clark gave her a thumbs up before carefully slipping his cell phone out from his left pants pocket, "Let's hope they pick up quickly…"

[Two hours later, at the Speedwagon Foundation Headquarters…]

"I didn't think there was anyone left that was under the influence of Firestart's Stand," Irene sighed, crossing one leg over the other as she witnessed a medic treat Clark's wounded foot, "It's scary to think his Stand's ability persists, even after death; I'll have to check up on everyone he's tampered with. Before you go, I have a few things that I need to talk to you about."

"I'm all ears," Clark cringed as the medic pulled away, his foot wrapped up and taken care of for the most part, "Is it anything new?"

"In two days, we're going to be confronting Damon Lustbader at the local park," Irene informed him, her demeanor remaining as resilient as ever, "Normally, I would have you accompany us, but that isn't the case now; we're going to be moving around the city quite a bit, and we can't afford your wound to slow us down."

"I see," Clark rubbed his chin, slowly moving out from his seat with a slight cringe, "Shit… well, I guess that makes sense. But who's going to be fighting? Is your son involved?"

"Not at all," Irene shook her head, folding one hand over the other, "My father, Masujiro, Dororesu, and Shinnosuke will be battling him; they're going to lead him into a trap I've concocted, and we'll only get one shot at it."

"Good luck to you, then," Clark gave her an understanding nod before dragging himself over to the office door, "If you need help, make sure to call me, and no one else; bringing in too many people would cause a lot of fuss and the bastard would be able to get away easily."

"You're correct, and besides," Irene continued, somewhat surprised at how stubborn this older man appeared to be, "You and the others have to work on what to do about Akiko Mikami, so try not to get too carried away."

"Yeah, right," Clark turned his back to her, slowly opening up the office door and slipped through it, letting it close behind him, his murmuring voice still audible, "Damn foot…"

"Now, all I have to do is wait for confirmation, and then I can gather everyone here before it all starts," Irene whispered to herself, sighing as she turned around in her chair, "Numbers mean nothing if we can't work together, I have to remember that…"

[Later that night…]

10:45 PM, Osaka's local park…

"You're still so hung up on what happened a few nights ago, huh?" Damon questioned Akiko has he leaned against an enormous oak tree, his hands in his pockets as the woman slipped her nurse's mask off from her face.

"I was having so much fun, but then that old bastard got in my way! And then those other two kept me from killing him! How could they know where I am?! IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" Akiko screamed, her fingers tugging at her dark locks roughly. "Why aren't _you_ angry?! You were caught!"

"I'm not angry because there's no way they'll attempt to catch me," Damon responded, shrugging as a cold breeze touched his face, "They know what kind of person I am, and what my Stand does now; so they think I might end up killing more people. I don't think they would risk that. They may have found you somehow, but they might deem me a more dangerous threat."

"Why would they see you as more dangerous? I'm more experienced, I've killed way more than you have, kid!" Akiko stomped up to him, wadding up his dress shirt as she grabbed him, "They've seen my work, you make other people do it for you!"

"When I was still a child, I killed my first girlfriend when she broke up with me by choking her to death, which awakened my Stand," Damon spoke, his eyes narrowing to stare at the slit-mouthed woman, "When I was a teacher in the United Kingdom, I still killed using my bare hands, it's just easier this way. Besides, why would I ever risk being caught? Technology could easily find me or trace anything back to me, so I refuse to risk such a thing."

"You're terrified of being caught, even though you have a Stand? That's pathetic! It's the rush of the kill that should make you do it again and again, no matter if you get caught!" Akiko argued, letting go of the younger man's shirt as she stepped back, giving him space.

"I can't comprehend that," Damon sighed, stepping away from the large tree with a small smirk on his face, "Nor do I want to. In the end, even if they come for me, it won't matter… I'll see to it that every last one of them is destroyed for tampering with my life."

"Well, if you're gonna keep going on and on, I'll just go," Akiko said, crossing her arms as she turned away from him, "See you, kid."

"I'm a kid?" Damon scowled for a moment, though he only sighed and walked over to the wooden bench near the entrance, "Talk about projecting yourself onto others…]

[Two days pass…]

March 5th, 9:00 PM. Speedwagon Foundation Headquarters.

It did not take long for Irene Joestar to gather the people she needed for this specific operation; Shinnosuke, Dororesu, Masujiro, and Jothan stood around her desk, each of them having some sort of determination burning inside their chests.

"Before we get this rolling, I want to thank you all for participating," Irene started, her hands on her desk as her eyes focused on Shinnosuke and Dororesu, "Especially you two; your allies are caught up in something else, so I'm grateful that you offered your services."

"Of course," Shinnosuke hid the dread in his voice as he spoke, sweat rolling down the side of his head as he nodded, "If I didn't at least try to help after what he's done, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

"Yeah, what he said," Dororesu commented, giving her elder a confident smirk, "We have to protect our town somehow, and besides, you've done a lot here, so we might as well pay you back."

"Alright, can we get on with this? I'm itching to kick this fucker's ass!" Masujiro rudely interrupted, holding his blade over his back, his other hand on his hip.  
"We're getting to that," Irene said with a sigh, looking over to her father who had been silent all this time, "We've determined that Damon Lustbader has been hiding out in the local park every night, thanks to Gustavo's Stand. I'll let Jothan take over from here."

"Since there will be four of us going in, he might see us coming, so we've come up with a plan," Jothan said, "We're going to take our sweet time getting there while Irene tries her best to sneak over as well. We're going to lead him to the subway while she does her job."

"My plan is to drag him all the way to the subway, and then, while he's there, we'll have several police officers that work for us gang up on him, some that are coming from the subway and some that belong to the force here in Osaka," Irene smiled at the mere thought of it playing out, "He'll either give into arrest or they'll put an end to his miserable life. There will be no way he can escape… what do you think?"

"But, won't there be a lot of people in the subway? How are going to work around that if something slips up?" Shinnosuke asked, rubbing one of his arms nervously as Irene stepped around her desk carefully.

"We'll have to deal with it as it comes," Irene stated, barely wavering on her stance, "I would ask you to use your ability to trap him, but he might be able to kill you faster than you can kill him, so we can't risk that; we don't know how many people he can control, so we have to be careful. Once we get him to the subway, he should be done for."

"Well, are we ready to head out now or what? I wanna put this guy in his place!" Dororesu said eagerly, taking a water bottle out from her pocket, her fingers pressing into it with anticipation.

"Alright, alright," Jothan bit down on his lip, anticipating the battle as he stepped towards the office's exit, "Let's head over to the park, but remember, take your time getting there! We have to get the jump on the bastard."

"Fuckin' finally, I get to cut this fucker up!" Masujiro cheered as he marched out from the office, the others following him, though Shinnosuke stayed behind for a moment, prompting Irene to look at him curiously.

"All I can do is hope that this goes well, right?" Shinnosuke chuckled to himself quietly, his eyes tired and his body aching with nervosity, "Let's get this over with…"

"It'll be okay, Shinnosuke," Irene assured him, her voice filled with a strange warmth as if she understood how he felt, "I'll be there in no time, so just stall him."

"Haha, yeah…"

[One hour passes…]

10:00 PM

Osaka's local park.

Masujiro Keizo could feel small drops of rain fall onto his head, but he barely paid it any mind; he held his trusty blade close, his grip tight as he led the other three to the local park.

 _You seem rather accustomed to fighting with our comrades, Masujiro! Have you had a change of heart?_ Issues spoke into Masujiro's mind, his tone enthusiastic and excited, though his user only sighed, annoyed.

 _Hell no, I just wanna kick this guy's shit in for nearly breaking my nose! I mean… these guys aren't bad at all, but I wanna show this guy just who the hell I am!_ Masujiro protested, his grip tightening on the blade, which resulted in a grunt of discomfort.

 _Please, do not bruise me; I would prefer it if you handled me with care. Masujiro, you do realize that this is a very dangerous battle, do you not? You may have a plan, and three other comrades helping you, but anything could happen at any moment._ Issues responded, speaking with the utmost care for his user.

 _Yeah, I know; I'm just so damn eager to show this punk what's what! I'm gonna be careful, don't worry about me, okay? We'll cut this bastard up and go home after it's all done._ Masujiro replied matter-of-factly, filled to the brim with confidence as he grinned.

As the four saw the park in their sights, they did their best to walk slightly more steadily, so they did not disturb anyone or anything that might have been in their vicinity; Masujiro moved a little more quickly than the others, his eyes gazing across the park to see that there was no sign of anyone there.

"Huh? Is no one even there?" Dororesu murmured to herself, moving closer to the wooden bench that Masujiro was standing by, though she did not approach him.

"I guess he decided to go somewhere else…" Masujiro whispered to himself before attempting to walk towards his friends, but he felt something prick his body; it only took a moment, but he was completely unable to move.

 _Masujiro, I can't move!_ Issues cried out telepathically, though his user only screamed internally, trying his damnedest to move even a millimeter, but it was a worthless attempt; he could hear the rustling behind him, but he could not even shout for help or even turn around.

Masujiro's right hand moved involuntarily, his eyes staring down at Issues as his hand suddenly plunged forward, burying his own weapon into his gut, causing him to vomit crimson blood; as he slowly regained control over his senses, he could see that Damon was in the tree behind him.

"Fuck, FUCK! ABOVE ME!" Masujiro screamed gutturally, his body slumping to the ground as he panted heavily, seeing that Damon had slowly climbed out from the massive oak tree, his monstrous Stand right beside him.

"How disgusting, you bled everywhere." Damon chuckled, quickly moving behind the tree as the other three charged towards the park; Dororesu and Jothan were going for Damon, but Shinnosuke had sprinted towards Masujiro.

"MASUJIRO!" Shinnosuke yelled, bending down on his knees to flip him over, seeing that he had a gaping wound in his gut, fresh blood continuously flowing out from his wound, "No, god, NO!"

"Y'know," Masujiro coughed, bits of blood flying out from his mouth as he did so, "I expected to die eventually, but I never knew that this is what it felt like… fuck, this is shitty. This is what I get for being reckless, huh? The fight hasn't even started and I'm already dying… goddamn it, how useless can I be?"

"Masujiro, stop talking! I can get you to a hospital!" Shinnosuke replied, putting his hands underneath to attempt to pick him up, barely able to get him off the ground.

"Stop it, you idiot," Masujiro scolded Shinnosuke, who could only muster up a look of horror in response, "This is the end of the road for me, but it's no big deal, this was bound to happen. This is just karma coming back to bite me in the ass, but I want you to listen to me. Don't focus on what he did to me, focus on what you're going to do to him. You'll give him a punch in the face for me, right? If ya don't, I'll haunt your ass."

"Of course," Shinnosuke responded, his body shaking as a flood of tears came rushing down his already pale face, "I'm so sorry I couldn't help you!"

"Shut up, it's not like you knew," Masujiro chuckled, running one of his hands over his wound, which made him cringe slightly, "That feels gross as hell… ha, well, guess I'll be seeing dear old ma soon, huh? If I have one thing to say about you people, it's that you're fuckin' crazy, but I like that about you. You're a brave guy, Shinnosuke… if anyone's to blame, it's Damon; make him pay."

"I will…" Shinnosuke murmured before standing up, looking down at Masujiro, who had slowly closed his eyes, letting go of the tight grip he had on his blade, and he could soon hear the Stand's voice murmur.

"So, this is the end," Issues mumbled, his voice pained, though there was a strange sense of relief that was held inside of his tone, "I always wondered what death tasted like... it's so cold, but liberating? It's terrifying... but, at least I can say, I have indeed lived a fulfilling life. Shinnosuke, I believe in you... defeat him. Deus vult."

"Actually, you know, thinking about it… this feels kinda nice." Masujiro smiled warmly as his body suddenly lost any bit of tension it once had, the entirety of it finally falling limp.

 **Masujiro Keizo… has died.**

"I promise," Shinnosuke shook as he clenched his fists, his white aura enveloping his frail body as he stepped forward, though he soon broke into a run, "I promise I'll bring Lustbader to justice!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

Name: Cyrus Steinberg  
Age: 45  
Stand: Altessa  
Stand Statistics  
Power – A  
Speed – B  
Range – B  
Durability – C  
Precision – B  
Development Potential – C


	26. Shinnosuke's Rebirth!

_**Shinnosuke's Rebirth!**_

Terunosuke Fujiwara – or as you may know him – Shinnosuke, has very much been a victim of circumstance for a majority of his adult life; he has found himself in life threatening situations again and again, without help, having to give up his earnings just to feed himself.

This would still hold true, if he had not met a certain man named Josiah Joestar, who Shinnosuke sees as his very best friend; he looks up to him, he leans on him, and above all else, he trusts him. Shinnosuke believes he would not have had the courage to do anything in the past four months if it were not for Josiah.

But there is something that Shinnosuke does not realize, and he may never realize it until someone beats the idea into him: he has always had this courage inside him, and he had never felt it burn inside his heart until now.

Though Shinnosuke may carry this determination, and he now has many friends that he can fall back on, he has never truly felt at peace; his worst fear still resides with him, and it is the manifestation of his very soul, the Sound of Silence, which haunts him in every waking hour of his life.

Shinnosuke does not like to admit how his Stand first awakened, as it was only achieved after a trip to a strange phenomenon, that the Japanese government had dubbed Wall Eyes. This was meant as a vacation from his constant work, but the mangaka's self-hatred was at an all time high, which somehow awakened his Stand.

He had always heard rumors about strange powers, but he had never taken them into consideration, so naturally, he had no clue what to do with his horrifying new power. Shinnosuke knew that his only choice was to live with this beast that he could not see, aside from the strange outlines it would leave in random spots.

Shinnosuke was a very cheerful child, the type that would goof off in class and play around, the happiest kid in his class; despite this, he always felt that deep inside, he was ultimately worthless in the long run… luckily, after a while, students would compliment him on his drawings, driving him forward to better himself in his art and make people smile, which is where he gained true happiness.

Even through all of the times he has told himself he cannot do it, all of the times he wished he would not wake up in the morning, the times he would lay in bed and wait for something terrible to happen to him – he made it, and that is something to admire. Shinnosuke may as well be the epitome of all the self-hatred and anxiety in the world, but he has made it this far, and he believes that there is no way he will give up now, not while Josiah, Warut, and everyone else is standing right behind him – he has no choice but to fight.

[At Osaka's local park...]

March 5th, 10:05 PM.

Dororesu swung her machete towards Damon Lustbader, narrowly missing as he jumped back, his hulking beast of a Stand phasing out from his body to protect its user; quickly, she jumped to the side, dodging a jab to the right.

"You piece of shit, hold still!" Dororesu suddenly ducked, avoiding an oncoming fist from the Stand, her blade running against its arm as she got closer to Damon, though it did not seem that her machete had any effect on Love And Meth.

"Shut your mouth, you dirty little thing," Damon grumbled as his Stand gripped the blade, easily stopping the young woman in her tracks before landing a solid kick against her abdomen, "Or I'll have to shut it FOR YOU!"

"ORA!" Damon heard a familiar cry as a sudden intense pain shook the left side of his body, feeling as if something had cracked; he coughed as he fell onto one of his knees, gripping his side as he looked to see who landed the blow on him.

"Stay on your feet!" Jothan Joestar taunted as his Stand landed another blow, the sheer force of it sending the pain riddled man several feet away, the older man and Dororesu quickly dashing towards him before he could collect himself.

 _She said she would help me! Where the hell is Akiko?!_ Damon slowly picked himself up as he asked this question again and again, unsure of where she could be, did she abandon him? As he stood back up on his feet, he could see another fist incoming.

Love And Meth quickly phased out from Damon's body to stop the fist with its own, though it was unable to stop Dororesu from slicing through its side; a bit of Lustbader's dress shirt suddenly ripped apart, blood seeping out from the fresh wound.

"Disgusting!" Damon nearly screamed, horrified as his Stand delivered a swift punch to Hey Jude's chin, causing Jothan to cough up a bit of blood, the other one aiming for Dororesu's gut; luckily, she was able to jump back and avoid it.

"Disgusting, huh? You made Masujiro gut himself, you freak!" Dororesu declared as she pointed towards Damon, who had pulled a napkin out from his left pants pocket to clean up the fresh blood that this woman had spilled.

"You're pathetic!" Jothan suddenly bashed his head against Damon's, causing the latter to nearly shriek in agony, completely distraught as their seemingly vain words reached his ears; he attempted to back up, but he only stumbled, "I should have put you down when I had the chance!"

"We all make mistakes," Damon chuckled, though it was clear that every single word he spoke had a hint of malice, "And this is by far the worst decision you've made today."

"Yeah, keep talking shit," Dororesu's eyes looked away for a moment, unsure if they were getting closer to the subway or not, "You should have expected this! Now stop talking big!"

 _We're getting closer, little by little!_ Jothan thought to himself, keeping his distance as Dororesu charged forward; Love And Meth launched a punch towards the slender woman, only for her to quickly move to the left, cutting through the other side of the monstrous Stand's body.

 _Love And Meth is far faster than her! How is she dodging everything I throw at her? She can't be predicting every single move I make!_ Damon grunted as he backed up, his hand running over his newly formed wound.

Though, before he could speak, all three of them heard a whistle; as they turned their heads, they could see a rather tall police officer walk over to them, a flashlight in his right hand and a whistle in his left, his face showing that he looked very unamused.

"What are you three hooligans doing this late at night?!" The officer demanded, shining his light on Dororesu, Jothan, and the Damon, raising one of his eyebrows quizzically. "You're causing quite the ruckus, so I came over to see what was going on!"

"Wait," Jothan opened up his mouth, his eyes widening with horror as Love And Meth pointed one of its fingers towards the officer, "Get the hell out of here, right now!"

"What are you talking about?" The officer tilted his head, confused; though his well-built body instantly froze before he could continue to speak, and then he suddenly rushed towards Jothan, who started to run towards Damon, his Stand drawn out.

"Oh, you won't hurt an innocent man? How noble!" Damon mocked as Love And Meth landed a solid blow on Dororesu's face, sending her flying back several feet. "I think it's about time I make my escape, don't you think?"

The officer pulled a handgun out from his holster, aiming it towards Jothan's left leg before firing; Hey Jude quickly reacted by going behind its user, managing to grab the bullet before it could make contact with his leg.

Damon would turn around and run while they were distracted, but he nearly gasped as he did so; a bare knuckled punch met with his relieved face, his pair of rectangular glasses shattering as the fist sent him to the cold concrete.

"I promised," Shinnosuke murmured, his fist shaking and covered in blood that had seeped out from his opponent's nose, "that I would do anything it takes to put you down! That one was for Masujiro!"

"What in the hell?!" Damon threw off his glasses, his fingers moving across broken glass that had made its home in his skin for a few moments; it was not long before his eyes focused on a shaking Shinnosuke, which had admittedly surprised him.

"Get up! You aren't going to escape while I'm still breathing!" Shinnosuke clenched his fists tightly enough to the point where they went numb, watching as the damaged man picked himself up, his eyes focusing in on the brave facade – at least he assumed it was a facade – he put on.

"We should fix that then!" Damon retorted before attempting to run towards Shinnosuke, only to watch as a figure got between the two of them; oddly enough, it was Jothan, and Damon's eyes soon carried over to see that the police officer was laying on the concrete.

"OVERDRIVE!" Jothan roared as golden aura overcame his left palm which suddenly forced itself against Damon's gut, sparks flying as he did so; the latter soon screamed as some of his dress shirt melted, a burn soon forming on his abdomen before he was able to muster up the strength to back away from the old man.

"The subway isn't too far away, let's hurry!" Shinnosuke told Jothan before slipping a switchblade out from one of his pockets, "I can't attack him with my Stand without killing him, so we're going to have to try even harder!"

"You got us out of that bind real quick, thanks Shinnosuke!" Dororesu gave him a thumbs up before kicking Damon forward, her machete gripped tightly. "We're going to make this as painful as possible!"

 _How in the hell is this happening?! Me, being tossed around like a ragdoll by these brutes? Akiko, where are you?!_ Damon would scream, but he did not want to give his enemies the satisfaction of hearing such a thing; he quickly summoned his Stand to catch him as he fell on his back, safely landing in Love And Meth's arms.

"Shinnosuke, stay back so he doesn't try anything funny! Your Stand should only be used as a last resort!" Jothan informed him, though he coughed as golden sparks fluttered around his hands. "It's been so long since I've used my Hamon technique, but it sure as hell put a dent in him!"

"I got it," Shinnosuke nodded, merely standing back and watching as Jothan walked towards the killer, Dororesu soon following, "I wish I could do more… all we have to do is get him to the subway so the police officers can catch him, but for what? So we can humiliate him before he's put down like a dog? We should be taking him down right now, ourselves…"

"I know it doesn't seem very tasteful to you, but in my mind and my heart, it's what he truly deserves," Jothan spoke up as Hey Jude phased out from his muscular frame, his hand over his heart as he walked closer with every passing second, "And I'll see to it that he experiences hell on earth before he dies!"

"I hate cocky guys like you, you're all a waste of space," Damon dusted himself off as he clutched his gut, his fingers soon running over his burn, "I don't know what that energy was, but it hurt and don't think I won't pay that pain back tenfold."

"Try it!" Dororesu challenged before she dropped her machete, and nearly immediately groaned as blood flowed out of her nose and into her hand, a slender yet long sword taking the place of the blood.

"That's a strange ability!" Damon would say before gritting his teeth, Love And Meth phasing in front of him as it puts its arms up in an X shape; as it did this, it managed to block the stab that Dororesu had thrust towards him.

"You should focus!" Jothan called out before moving to the left of Lustbader, planting his own fist against the left side of his face, forcing him to move back several feet as Dororesu quickly dashed to the right.

Shinnosuke looked further down the street, being able to see the rails that surrounded the entrance to the subway; they were so close, he swore he could taste it on his tongue before moving forward as well, one of his hands extended as he approached from the side that Jothan was on.

"Cowards, you have to gang up on me just to have a chance! Do you lack any sense of pride?" Damon taunted, his teeth pressed together as he felt a sudden shove meet the front of his body; before he could launch his Stand at Shinnosuke, he quickly lost his balance and fell down a flight of stone stairs, his body riddled with dull pain as he made his way down.

"Didn't you hear me?!" Shinnosuke shouted as he ran down the stairway, seeing that there was no shuttle to be seen, but he could hear some sort of sound charging near them from the tunnel, that seemed to still be as dark as the night.

"It's clear to me now, you have no pride," Damon chuckled, leaning against the wall of the underground subway as he watched Shinnosuke make his way down, the other two following him closely, "Come on, Shinnosuke, you know me! Would someone like me really kill all those people? This makes no sense to me!"

"You've lost your right to speak," Shinnosuke spoke, the end of his sentence filled with nothing but contempt, his right eye twitching persistently, "You killed Masujiro and so many other people! You won't get out of this, there's no escape route for you to take! THIS ENDS TONIGHT!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO UPDATE  
** Name: Terunosuke Fujiwara/Shinnosuke  
Age: 23  
Stand: The Sound Of Silence  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - A  
Durability - ?  
Precision - A  
Range - A  
Development Potential - C


	27. Courage Is Not Exclusive

_**Courage Is Not Exclusive**_

March 5th, 10:10 PM.

Shinnosuke's ears perked up as the sound of distant sirens filled the air, his body shaking as he ran his fingers over his left arm carefully, as if to soothe himself; he clenched his fists, staring straight ahead at Damon Lustbader, who was standing just a few feet away, his hand on his hip like it was a casual meeting.

Damon darted forward, suddenly slamming one of his fists against Shinnosuke's gut, his next blow meeting with the lanky boy's chin, his eyes wide with shock; like a wild animal, the murderer continuously landed blows on the poor child's face.

"No one ever strikes me across the face! NO ONE TREATS ME LIKE I'M INFERIOR!" Damon screamed, his eyes completely bloodshot, though he was able to see Dororesu charge at him from the side; Love And Meth quickly stopped her, grabbing her blade tightly.

"Shinnosuke!" Jothan cried, Hey Jude phasing out from his body as it tackled Love And Meth, its fists bashing themselves against its arms, causing its guard to be broken; as its chest was exposed, Jothan managed to land another heavy blow with his Stand, allowing him and Dororesu to run towards Shinnosuke to aid him.

"Get your hands off of him before I break them!" Dororesu threatened as she landed a solid punch against Damon's nose, causing him to back up a few feet, feeling the cold stone wall meet with his body.

"I'm fine," Shinnosuke panted, spitting a bit of blood out onto the subway floor, chuckling lowly as he heard the sound of shutting doors just above them, his ears also picking up the sound of a shuttle steadily approaching, "Damon, you've lost!"

"You keep your filthy paws off of me!" Damon growled, attempting to charge towards the young woman, but he froze as he heard boots scraping against the concrete; his eyes would widen when he saw dozens of police officers flood into the subway.

Before he could attempt to run past them, he noticed that Irene Joestar was among them, her own Stand by her side; he quickly turned to see the subway's shuttle pull in, allowing even more police officers forced their way into the tunnel.

"Damon Lustbader, this is it," Irene started, stepping towards him but she stopped short, her hands on her hips, "You've caused so much fear to every single person that has died at your hands, so how does it feel? How does it feel to be scared, like all of those victims you slaughtered?"

"You… I should have stayed to kill you…" Damon murmured, his Stand phasing out from his body, though this only alerted the police officers even more; each of them shuffled, almost simultaneously, all of them holding a handgun tightly.

They all took aim at Damon, who had started shaking, feeling his vision blur; while he did this, Shinnosuke traced his fingers along the stone wall behind him, the white outline soon shining as he felt his heart pump faster and faster.  
"I..." Damon started, his eyes going wide. __Dammit!__ He thought to himself as he tried to swallow the growing lump in his throat.

"On your knees! Hands where we can see them!" An officer shouted, motioning to another to cuff him.

 _ _If I could just reach…__ He thought, slowly lowering himself down to his knees on the dirty floor. Damon reached for the blade hidden in his shoe, placing the other hand on the back of his head. "Whatever you say," he choked out.

He grabbed the handle with his fingertips and started to turn when he heard "He's got a weapon!" and suddenly felt a hand on the back of his head, dunking it down. Suddenly, the world went black.

He blinked a few times and looked around. Where was he? He couldn't make out much of anything – his surroundings seemed to be pitch black regardless of which way he looked. Slowly, he rose to his feet and dropped the blade. Had he escaped again? Something felt strange but... No one was here. He was sure he was the only living being around.

And so Damon began to laugh. It was a small chuckle at first. It grew into a raucous roar of a laugh, shaking him to his core. Tears filled his eyes. "Shinnosuke, you goddamned idiot!" he spat out between gasps for air.

His laughter was cut short when he saw something out of the corner of his eye, rushing towards him at inhuman speed. He quickly turned to look and all he could see were teeth. Large, sharpened teeth at eye level. Quickly he retreated, trying to shuffle backwards while keeping an eye on it.

Damon tripped, whether from clumsiness or an obstacle he did not know. He tried to crawl, exclaiming "no, no! Get away from me!" For once, he was afraid.

It overcame him with ease, fitting his head into its gaping maw. His screaming quickly became wet gargles and choking as it bit down, decapitating him.

As the quiet space disappeared, Sound of Silence spit Damon's head back out onto the disgusting floor, next to his body. As soon as he could register where he was, the world went black again. The ringing in his ears subsided and he slipped into void.

 ** **Damon Lustbader… has died.****

Shinnosuke covered his eyes as he fell onto his knees, rhythmic panting escaping from his lungs as wet tears streamed down his face, his fingers grasping at the dirty floor of the subway; he felt his hearing weaken somewhat, his arms moving to wrap around his chest.

"Shinnosuke!" Irene shouted, though her voice was filled with motherly concern, and it seemed that she was not about to scold him; he could feel one of her hands run over his shoulder, though he could not bring himself to take his eyes off of the floor.

"Didn't think he had it in him," Dororesu murmured, the entire subway silent aside from Shinnosuke's constant sobbing, "Is he okay? I didn't think this would have fucked him up this badly…"

"Leave him be for now," Jothan responded, pointing to one of the cops and then to Damon's disembodied head, "If you have the equipment, please, clean up the body. Thank you all for coming to help corner him, we most likely would not have been able to put him down if it weren't for you, so, thank you, again."

"Yes, Mister Joestar," the officer nodded, slightly confused as to why the killer's head had suddenly been sliced from his body, "Men, you can all return back to your stations, I will have a select few take care of our situation here."

"There's something I don't understand," Dororesu spoke quietly to Jothan, ignoring the officers that had begun to take their leave, "From what I understand, Sound of Silence usually eats the entire body. Do you think Shinnosuke did this for a reason?"

"Yeah, I think so," Jothan sighed before slipping a cigarette out from his jacket pocket, and then a lighter from the right side of his jeans, "I won't ask, but I won't stop you; poor kid has never done something like this, but he knew what he was getting himself into… give him a few days, and he'll be okay."

"Right," Dororesu stated calmly, though she only glanced at Shinnosuke for one moment before turning away, "Masujiro would've been proud."

"You're damn right," Jothan pressed his cigarette to his lips for only a moment before speaking once more, "Deus vult, indeed."

[Two days pass, Josiah Joestar's apartment…]

March 7th, 9:30 AM.

Shinnosuke's eyes slowly opened, though they stung slightly as they tried to adjust to the light; as he turned his head, he saw Josiah and Clark standing by the sofa, both of them unaware that he had awoken.

 _What's going on? Why am I in Josiah's apartment?_ Shinnosuke thought to himself before his lungs forced out a heavy yawn, prompting the two men to look at him, though only Josiah had a small smile on his face.

"Hey, buddy," Josiah waved, his smile warm as he watched his friend prop himself up, his back sinking into the sofa, "You've been out for a day or two, are you okay? Irene told us everything that happened, and we wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Everyone stopped by to see you," Clark added, his arms crossed as he moved away from the sofa, his faded violet eyes surveying the fragile young man, "Warut came in the most, he wanted to be here to get you back on your feet… but, Josiah here never left your side. The kid barely ate anything, he just wanted you to be okay."

"What, really? Why would you guys do that for me after… everything that happened?" Shinnosuke asked, his eyes narrowing towards the floor; he felt Josiah's hand brush his shoulder, just like his mother's had that other night.

"Because, you're my friend," Josiah replied, his voice so simple but it was obvious that something was caught in his throat, "You never wanted to hurt anyone, you had no choice, Shinnosuke, so don't blame yourself."

"Maybe I did have a choice," Shinnosuke argued, clenching his fists as he stared right back at his companion, "Maybe I could have stopped Masujiro from being killed, maybe I could have let the cops take him out! I don't know why I did what I did, I just… what am I? I'm no better than he is!"

"Don't give me that shit," Clark rose his voice, putting Shinnosuke to a sudden halt, his entire being trembling just from those five words, "For all we know, what you did was the best move. Killing leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I hate it with every fiber of my being; I would give anything to not kill Akiko, but in the end, it might be the only choice I have left."

"But," Shinnosuke's fingers dug into the sofa cushions, his body shaking uncontrollably as his mind flashed back to the other night, "I didn't have to kill him! The police could have taken him in and taught him a lesson, I'm no better than Damon!"

"You can keep talking like that," Clark sighed, taking a seat onto the sofa, one leg over the other as he pressed his hands together, "But let me tell you a story, if you're willing to listen; it isn't a short story, so keep your ears open."

[Several years ago…]

Mississippi. June 17th, 1982.

7:30 PM.

A young Clark Kubrick pulled the trigger to his brother's AMT Hardballer, the bullet speeding to hit a dummy that the young man had tied around a tobacco stick; the bullet zoomed forward, breaking through where a pair of eyes would have been.

"A clean shot," Clark murmured, sighing as he looked by the enormous oak tree that he had set several more weapons by, including a semi-automatic rifle, "This is no good, I need a moving target… I can't know how good I am until I can hit something like that."

Clark slid the handgun into his pocket, his back resting against the oak tree as he sighed heavily; was this really happening? He knew he had to do this, as he could remember his father striking his mother so viciously, and how he pinned her against the wall of the place he called home…

"I have to keep going," Clark whispered to himself, clutching the end of the semi-automatic rifle, blinking to stop the tears that had formed in his eyes, "For my mama's sake, I will keep going… I just need a little more time, so please, hold on."

[The following day…]

Clark walked throughout the small town that he had known so well, and he could probably lead you through every little nook and cranny with his eyes closed; though, he nearly froze in place as he saw a rather beat up pickup truck park next to the local bank.

Out from the truck came a rather tall man, though he seemed a little lanky, but this isn't what caught the young man's attention – it was the fact that he had a black ski mask over his head, and in his left hand was a pistol.

 _Is this my chance?_ Clark thought to himself as the unknown man walked towards the bank, his left hand having a steady grip on his weapon; the young man slowly walked towards the bank as well, his eyes watching as the masked man pushed the front doors open.

It barely took Clark ten seconds to open the door, and he could see that the masked man had already pointed his gun at the teller, but the entire bank was empty, so there was no one there that could call for help. Was it truly up to this fourteen year old boy to put an end to this? Was this man really just going to be target practice?

Clark pulled his own handgun out from his pocket discreetly, aiming it steadily towards the armed man; he quickly bent down behind a table, keeping his aim as he heard the man speak up, though his voice seemed oddly familiar.

"Give me what you got, and no one gets hurt!" He threatened, his finger brushing the trigger as the bank teller only nodded; Clark could have sworn he had heard his voice before, but now was not the time to hesitate.

His ears would ring as he finally pulled the trigger, prompting the mysterious gunman to turn around; he barely had any time to discern what had happened – he felt the bullet run through his gut, immediately screaming in anguish as he fell to the carpeted floor.

Clark quickly made his way up to the masked man, seeing that he had blown a hole into his gut and that his blood was seeping out from his wound; curious, but also still processing what had happened, Clark pulled the ski mask off from the man.

He nearly screamed, but he would not let himself do such a thing – the man had a very pale face, his cheeks rather bony, though he had a small bit of a beard hanging off from his chin; Clark had recognized this man as the reverend he would see every Sunday, when he and his family would attend services at their local church.

"What.. what are you doing?" Those were the only words that Clark could squeeze out from his throat, his entire being shaken to the core as the man's fingers ran against the carpet, not even bothering to note that the bank teller had ran away from the counter, presumably to call the police.

"Little Clark," the man groaned, his fingers gripping the floor as he stared up, tears running down his cheeks simply from the intense pain that was still running through every single bit of his body, "I owed… your father, money. I can't say why, but… I owed him a lot of money, and I had no choice, I have a hard enough time feeding myself; please, forgive me, I had no choice."

"No, I couldn't have..." Clark trailed off, though the reverend's words made it to his brain, only forcing him to clutch his handgun even harder, "No, no, NO!"

As he yelled, young Clark Kubrick sprinted out from the bank, messily slipping his handgun into his pocket; he ran towards the woods near his home, his guts churning in disgust for not only himself, but his father as well.

 _He's gone too far, I won't forgive him; I CAN'T FORGIVE HIM!_ Clark felt fresh tears stream down his face as he ran, ignoring any bystanders that he had come across, no one could know what kind of sin he had just committed.

He only knew one thing for sure, though – his father was going to pay for all that he had taken and tarnished.

[Three days pass…]

7:50 PM.

Clark had positioned himself on a nearby hill so he could get a perfect view of his home, his hands running across his semi-automatic rifle; his dad would sometimes modify guns, but there was no way in hell he would touch anything that bastard used.

His mother was rocking back and forth in on the front porch, the cool night air moving against her face, her yawns in audible; the sun had started to set, too, and all Clark had to do was wait for his father to arrive.

Before long, the older man had stumbled into view, a beer bottle loosely hanging from his right hand; his son had a perfect view of him, and he swore he could smell the godawful stench of booze from a mile away.

"Where the hell is Clark?!" His father spat, his unstable body leaning against one of the many support beams on the front porch; his mother had responded, though it was incredibly audible, but it seemed that his father was not happy with whatever her answer was, as he had stomped onto the front porch.

 _Not again!_ Clark thought to himself as he took aim, his finger only centimeters away from the trigger as he focused in on his father's head; though he felt his stomach churn violently as he did this, his hands suddenly shifting the aim to his spine.

A loud boom emitted as he pulled the trigger, the rifle round zooming through the air at an incredible speed; before his father even knew it, he only felt the bullet crack against his spine for a moment, which sent him flying to the wooden floor.

"BART!" Clark's mother shouted, her eyes wide with terror as she dashed into their home, her scream of terror echoing into the outside air; Clark assumed she had gone inside to call the police or the ambulance, but he knew one thing for certain.

There was no way in hell that this man, his own father, was about to lay a single finger on his dear mother, as long as he was alive.

[Back in the present day…]

"You shot your own father, just so he would stop abusing your mother? How could you even bring yourself to do that?" Shinnosuke asked, utterly bewildered, though it was clear to see that he had stopped shaking.

"Like I said, I did what I had to do," Clark retorted, his faded violet eyes meeting with Shinnosuke's hazel eyes, "I'm not ashamed or regretful, because I'm sure if I didn't do that, both of us would have died in that house, and it's the same with you; you killed him for a good reason, he would have ended up killing a lot more people, so stop blaming yourself. You did a damn good job."

"You're probably right," Shinnosuke nodded, wiping his eyes before slipping off of the sofa, "Clark, I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you… you didn't deserve any of that."

"It's in the past, so don't apologize for something you had no part in," Clark shrugged, pulling himself from the sofa as well, "You better think over all of this. Now if you excuse me, I have to go think about our next move."

"Right," Josiah added, suddenly speaking up, "Let me know any plans you come up with, Clark, thank you for staying by Shinnosuke's side for a while."

"Yeah, I'll keep you informed." Clark said as he opened up the front door, and then stepped out without another word, leaving the two of them in a seemingly deafening silence.

"Hey, Shinnosuke," Josiah chuckled, moving over so he could see his friend face to face, "He's right, but there's also one thing you should remember… you had the courage to do that, so don't think too lightly of yourself. You're my best friend, and I just want you to know you saved so many people, even my grandpa."

"You're right," Shinnosuke agreed, smiling warmly before his stomach growled violently, "Ha, guess I'm really hungry! Do you mind if we go get something to eat, Josiah?"

"Of course, man!"

[Later that night, in downtown Osaka…]

11:30 PM.

Akiko Mikami brushed her hair out of her face, her chin resting on her right palm as she sighed, which soon turned into a chuckle; she stared out of the shattered window, her eyes focusing in on the bright stars twinkling in the clear night sky.

"I had to wait so long, but I guess that kid is dead," Akiko rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, dusting herself off as she slipped off of the torn couch, "I saw him fighting all those Stand users, and he was getting his ass handed to him! If he hadn't called me a barbarian, he would have had my help! Too bad for him!"

Akiko slowly stepped out from the broken down home, quickly readjusting her nurse's mask as she slipped into an alleyway, a devious smile only slightly visible, as it ruffled the mask just a little bit.

"He's just another obstacle out of my way."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Dororesu Matsumae  
Age: 20  
Stand: Icicle Melts  
Stand Statistics  
Power – C→ A  
Speed – C  
Range – D  
Precision – A  
Durability – D - B  
Development Potential – B


	28. Warut's Day Off!

_**Warut's Day Off!**_

March 10th, 2:30 PM.

Warut Mizushima paced back and forth in his daughter's somewhat ancient apartment, his face straight with boredom before an exasperated sigh exited his lungs; sighing, he moved around in circles, able to hear Dororesu's footsteps from outside.

"Dad, what in the hell are you doing?" Dororesu asked as she stepped into the apartment, closing the front door behind her. She crossed her arms, her head tilted and the look she gave him let Warut know that she was judging him.

"Whaddaya think I'm doin'? I got nothin' to do, I can't leave durin' the day, and I can't go anywhere! It sucks!" Warut complained, suddenly moving to lay his muscular frame onto the sofa, the cushions sinking downward as he did so.

"Wow, now I really feel like a mom," Dororesu half-joked, though it certainly seemed like her own father was acting like a bratty – or just lonely – child, "Look, it's best you don't go out, so you don't get arrested, remember? You're a wanted criminal!"

"Yeah, Yeah, I get that," Warut grumbled, his hands resting on his chest as he stared up at the barren ceiling, "But I couldn't even see Shinnosuke when he woke up, and he really needed people to be there for him! I just wish I could live like a normal guy again."

"I can't really fix that," Dororesu retorted with a shrug, turning away to move towards the kitchen, a plastic bag dangling from her left hand, "Sorry, dad! I'd do more if I could!"

"What motivatin' words," Warut responded sarcastically with a roll of his eyes, a tinge of sass added to his speech, "I guess you're right, though… I just want to do a lot more than just sit around and wait for shit to happen. I wanna do what I used to do."

"What _did_ you do before you went to prison, dad?" Dororesu asked him from afar, genuinely curious as to what her father would be up to so many years ago.

"Nothin' that's that exciting," Warut replied, wistfully looking towards his daughter now, "I would just watch a lotta movies, hang out with your mom… I kinda miss how simple everything used to be, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know," Dororesu said, her voice and her expression softening at the mere mention of her mother, "I guess you haven't talked to her in a long time, huh?"

"Haven't been able to," Warut said before yawning, "I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a monster because of what happened. Has she said anything about me?"

"Not really," Dororesu answered honestly, easily able to tell that her father was clearly saddened by this news, "Whenever she hears your name, she either shuts down or tries to change the subject."

"Shoulda guessed," Warut frowned, his heartbeat feeling suddenly heavier with each passing moment, and he could feel a lump form in his throat, "I dunno what I expected."

"Hey, I'm sure she doesn't hate you," Dororesu said encouragingly, attempting to reassure her father, although it did not seem to work, "When someone you love is gone for a long time, it's gonna end up hurting them."

"I don't know," Warut responded, his voice making the older man sound genuinely lost, "I've been a horrible man, and an even worse dad. I'm sorry you're stuck with me."

"How can you say you're a bad dad, you idiot?" Dororesu questioned, putting her hands on her hips as she rose her voice, "You risked your damn life to save me, so don't you dare sell yourself short!"

"I guess that's a good point," Warut sighed, now smiling warmly towards the ceiling, the dimly lit room proving to be a tad too comfortable for him, "Sorry, but… I wanna sleep for a bit."

"Alright, dad," Dororesu gave him a small smile as she turned on the kitchen sink, "Have a nice nap, okay?"

"I'll try."

[Several hours later…]

9:30 PM.

Warut's eyes flickered open, both of them quickly adjusting to the darkened room; he had assumed it was now night, as the darkness from the outside world had flooded the old apartment.

"How long did I sleep?" Warut murmured to himself as he pulled himself off the sofa, his back aching as he did so; maybe it was not the best idea to sleep on the worn down piece of furniture, but, either way, he slowly walked towards a nearby wall and flipped a light switch.

The entire apartment seemed to be empty, at least until he managed to make it to his daughter's room, where she had been sleeping soundly; he closed the door quietly and walked over to the front door, his hands resting in his pockets.

 _Now's my chance!_ Warut thought to himself, giving an excited grin to the front door as he approached, though he stopped for a moment, doubting his actions for just a second before moving forward anyway, the outside world greeting him with cool air.

Luckily, the city at this time of night seemed rather dead, so no one would be able to recognize Warut, especially in the dark; his feet crunched against the snow, though there were only patches of it, as most of it had melted away.

It was odd to step outside on his own, but it was a feeling he would welcome any time – and even though he could not do much, just seeing the outside world was enough for him, all he had to do was be careful.

Warut slipped his hands into his coat pockets, keeping them safe and warm as he made his way down the empty streets. It was not long before he noticed a slim figure walking on the sidewalk opposite to him, though he was not able to recognize them.

He kept to himself, though he could not help but look over every other moment, wanting nothing more than human interaction; these thoughts ended abruptly as he witnessed a rather lanky figure slowly close in on the woman, its hands moving from its sides and towards her throat.

His fatherly instincts suddenly kicked in while he watched this unfold, his Stand wrapping around him tightly, his muscular frame zipping towards the would-be killer; the woman had barely noticed as Warut placed himself between her and the figure, his fist quickly colliding with where its mouth should have been, causing it to fall flat on the concrete.

Warut was able to get a better look at what this thing was as it picked itself back up, revealing itself to be a rather short man with bags under his eyes, and his blonde hair was in the style of a bowl-cut. His shirt was a simple black with bright red stripes running through it, and he was wearing a pair of purple slacks, and to top it off, he had been wearing plain white sneakers.

"What the hell was that for?" The man grumbled, spitting wet blood mixed with saliva onto the concrete below him, his eyes able to see that the woman he had been sneaking up on was now quite a few feet away. "Goddamn it…"

"Whaddaya mean 'what the hell was that for'? You were sneakin' up on the girl, you creepy little shithead!" Warut argued, Stratovarius holding onto him tightly as he cracked his knuckles, looking towards the man expectantly.

"That's none of your business, you weird fucker," He murmured, his eyes widening once he got a good look at the large man standing before him, though he was more set on the strange mist surrounding his body, "Pull yourself together, Jarrod… am I seeing things?"

"He can see my Stand? Well that's just my goddamn luck," Warut sighed, clenching his fists as Stratovarius loosened up on his body, "It was probably a really dumb idea to stop ya, but ya don't seem to know who I am."

"Stand? I don't know what that is, and why would I know a jackass like you?" Jarrod stepped back a few feet before a figure flew out from his body, which seemed to be a blur to Warut as it dashed towards him.

However, before it could make contact, another figure stepped in front of it, pressing its fist against the abdomen of the now clear creature; it had looked exactly like a six foot tall porcelain mannequin, which had been designed like an ordinary woman.

"You dumbass, you're lucky I saw that!" A familiar voice berated Warut, prompting him to look downward – he was able to tell that it was Taiga, who had stopped the porcelain mannequin in its tracks with her right hand alone.

"Uh, thanks," Warut wiped sweat from his brow, bewildered at how blindingly fast Taiga and the Stand had moved, "How did you know I was out here, and how in the fuck can you move that fast?!"

"I was just in the area," Taiga responded nonchalantly before pushing the mannequin back towards Jarrod, who stepped out of the way, his jaw agape with shock, "My Stand is bound to my body, so I guess it only makes sense it shares its attributes with me."

"If you're done talking, I think I'm gonna kill both of you now!" Jarrod threatened as three more porcelain dolls phased out from his body, each of them dashing towards Warut, who prepared to fly towards one of them.

"I got this!" Taiga said before the older man even had a chance to attack; she threw dozens of rapid punches with her right arm alone in a matter of seconds, the sheer force of the blows ripping through the porcelain mannequins, their bodies shattering into pieces.

"That was easy," Warut blinked, giving off a sigh of relief as Taiga turned back to him, "Those things are really fuckin' fragile, asshole! You were gonna kill us, huh? What for?"

"I could have gotten my hands on that girl if it weren't for you," Jarrod bit down on his bottom lip, a thin grey aura surrounding his body as he pointed to Taiga, "And you stopped me from killing this asshole, so you're going to suffer for that too! My Stand, Pretty In Porcelain, will make sure that both of you pay!"

"What, so you're a pervert? I hate to break it to you, but I just broke your Stand into dozens of tiny pieces!" Taiga responded as she faced him, her right hand on her hip as she walked forward, though she stopped as she saw that the tiny pieces had begun to accumulate.

"How dare you?" Jarrod murmured as the broken pieces of the mannequin dolls formed together, though it took some time, Taiga and Warut were utterly stunned at what they were looking at. It was not long before each of them had fused together, forming a ten foot tall porcelain mannequin.

"Taiga, come on!" Warut rocketed forward and grabbed Taiga before flying away, the mannequin's foot crashing against the sidewalk, cracking it rather easily; as Warut disappeared into the distance, it quickly followed with Jarrod behind, eager to exact revenge on the people that had wronged its user.

Warut flew through the empty streets of Osaka with Taiga in his arms, though he was able to see that the monster mannequin had been closing in on him; after seeing this, he suddenly flew in-between two houses in an attempt to hide.

"What the hell are you doing? We can't just run away, that thing will tear down everything in sight to get to us!" Taiga argued, freeing herself from Warut's grip, which allowed her to press her back to the wall of the house to the right.

"I got a plan," Warut eased around the corner, to get a good look at the front of the house, which had a rather large sign sticking out from the ground, "That's lucky… I guess this house is for sale, but I need you to lure that monster inside! With enough heat clashing with this cold air, I can make my mist grow. Remember when we first met?"

"Oh, yeah! You fired lightning at me! Do you think that'll work?" Taiga questioned as she stepped towards the front of the house, though she hesitated as she waited for an answer.

"Well, if it doesn't, we're kinda fucked," Warut admitted bluntly, chuckling as he moved towards one of the windows, his fingers prying it open, "I'd rather do this than one of us get crushed to death, so let's go!"

Taiga nodded as her acquaintance slipped through the window, and then ran out into the middle of the street, able to see that the ten foot tall mannequin was not that far from her; her right arm was surrounded by a crimson aura as she bent down and ripped a piece of concrete from the street, which she then tossed at the porcelain doll, the concrete grazing its cheek.

"Hey, asshole, over here!" Taiga mocked, waving her hands obnoxiously towards the towering mannequin, which then ran towards the girl at a rapid speed, with Jarrod following behind, though he could barely keep up with it.

The young woman kicked the door to the empty home open, though she saw no sign of Warut, but she had to think… the only place he could possibly gather enough heat was the kitchen! With that, she dashed into one of the hallways in hopes of finding the kitchen.

Warut nearly jumped out of his skin as she ran into the kitchen, the heat of the stove coursing throughout the entire room. He could not help but almost shake in fear as he heard the mannequin's heavy footsteps make their way into the house.

"What are you doing? Get down!" Warut barked angrily, prompting Taiga to run to the end of the kitchen and duck, covered her head as the monstrous porcelain figurine closed in on them.

It was nearly impossible to see Warut as the mist surrounding his body became thicker and thicker, though he could see through it easily; he pointed one of his fingers towards the corner of the room as the mannequins stepped in.

"Take this, shithead!" Warut cried out as an enormous bolt of lightning emerged from his fog covered finger, the bolt coursing through Pretty In Porcelain's body, utterly frying it.

The enormous figure phased out from existence as it toppled over, though Warut and Taiga could hear a thud just outside the kitchen, which prompted them to walk out of it, each of them filled to the brim with confidence.

"What are you doing on the ground, asshole?" Taiga smirked and bent down onto her knees, gripping Jarrod's collar, as his body was flat on the floor, smoke rising from it. "You brought this upon yourself, got it?"

Before Jarrod could even respond, he could barely feel anything in the next few moments as her fists rapidly collided with his already sore and broken body; with one final blow, she sent him through the door of the empty house, his mind soon pulling him into a state of unconsciousness.

"Good god," Warut sighed, sitting on the wooden floor of the house as he stared out the front door, "I didn't think that would take so much energy outta me."

"You wouldn't have run out of energy if you didn't do something stupid," Taiga berated him, though shrugged as she stepped out from the house, "We'll let him lay here so he can think about the shit he just put us through. I'm gonna go look for some food, you wanna come with?"

"Yeah," Warut sighed as he picked himself up, following Taiga closely while looking down towards Jarrod's battered body "Sure."

[Later that night, just outside Damon's former apartment…]

10:30 PM.

"Are you sure you're healed up? I don't want you to faint or anything, dad." Irene commented worriedly as she walked forward, her father only a few feet behind her.

"I'm fine," Jothan replied stubbornly, his expression unchanging despite the dull pain throbbing in his gut, "I just hate that we're still not done with this bastard, anything to do with him makes me sick."

"We just have to investigate his apartment and we're done," Irene gave him a nod of reassurance as she reached the door to Damon's former apartment but she froze for a moment, "That reminds me, how's Shinnosuke holding up?"

"He's getting better," Jothan smirked, his hands sliding into his coat pockets, "That Kubrick fellow and Josiah had a talk with him, that might be why. Are you worried about him?"

"A little," Irene admitted before pushing the door open, her worried demeanor shifting to a look of stoicism, which led her to step inside, "Alright, let's get this over with…"

"I couldn't agree more," Jothan nodded as he followed from behind, looking down to see that the blood from his earlier visit had stained the carpet still, "Guess he never bothered to come back."

"He wasn't that stupid," Irene continued to move forward, eventually walking through the kitchen and immediatley made her way to the bedroom, slightly put off by how neatly organized everything in this apartment was, "Everything smells incredibly sterile, and it's so silent…"

"It's really unsettling, if I have to be honest," Jothan murmured as he peeked into the bedroom, seeing that the bed was neatly made, and it had been set next to a wooden cabinet that had several bags lined up to one another, "This is a bit too normal for someone like him, but I wonder what those are bags are for…"

"There's only one way to find out," Irene said and stepped towards the cabinet, her eyes studying the bags which had small slips of paper taped to them, though she was set on one in particular, "This one says November 11th, 2031. Glenn Moore, male, age eighteen…"

Irene moved her hands to the top of the plastic bag and opened it slowly and carefully, attempting to see what was inside; once she got a peek, it only took her a second before she gagged and took several steps back, her chest heaving.

"Are you okay?! What the hell is in that thing?" Jothan asked worriedly as he placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders, somewhat shaken up by her reaction.

"Teeth," Irene stated, just barely loud enough for her father to hear, "Pairs of teeth, probably from someone he killed a long time ago… okay, we're going to call the Speedwagon Foundation to look through these bags. Good fucking god."

"Right," Jothan replied, patting his daughter's shoulder comfortingly before leaving the room, "Makes me wonder what else that sick fuck left behind…"  
"I don't know if I want to find out now, but I don't think it can get much worse," Irene sighed as she left the bedroom and entered the kitchen, "I guess this means we should expect anything."

"Yeah," Jothan observed the kitchen carefully, barely spotting anything that would have been out of place to him, though his eyes did catch a bowl only halfway filled with cat food on the floor, "Looks like he had a pet cat. I can only imagine what that fucker put that poor thing through…"

"It's free now, at least," Irene mumbled before taking her cellphone out from her pocket, "I'm calling the Speedwagon Foundation, I think I'm going to vomit."

Jothan shrugged. "Whatever you say."

[In downtown Osaka…]

Akiko sat on the cold concrete, her teeth chattering and her body shivering from the cold, at least seemingly. Her mask had been tossed to the side, and her legs were against her chest as her breathing became more and more heavy every moment.

"He had to go and get himself killed," Akiko murmured to herself, her pale fingers shaking as she gripped the sides of her body, her mind drifting away, "Goddamn it, he really fucked me over in the end, didn't he? But it's his fault, isn't it? It's his fault!"

[Some time ago…]

" _Hey, why do you kill people, Damon? That's been on my mind a lot lately!" Akiko questioned him curiously, putting one of her fingers to her chin._

 _"Why I kill? Let's see," Damon started, crossing his arms as he shut his eyes and reached back into his mind to find a reason, "I don't like people, so it's just that simple. If someone irritates me, well, they can kiss their life goodbye. I just want peace and quiet. Why do you kill?"_

 _"Because I can," Akiko grinned, her eyes filled with an uncomfortable warmth and glee, "I mean, who's gonna stop me? I'm invincible at this point, no one's been able to beat me! Ordinary people can't do shit, so I do what I want."_

 _"How immature," Damon scoffed, turning his head away from Akiko once he opened his eyes, "You do it for fun? Only a barbarian would do that… we're only alike in the fact that we both possess the same power."_

[Back in the present…]

"Damn it," Akiko growled lowly, her fingernails sinking into her covered flesh before she stared up at the night sky, fresh tears running down her flushed face, "I'll kill them all, every single last one of them… I can't keep pulling away!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Jarrod Tollas  
Age: 27  
Stand: Pretty In Porcelain  
Stand Statistics  
Power – C → A  
Speed – B  
Range – C  
Durability – C  
Precision – A  
Development Potential - C


	29. The Edge Of Reality

_**The Edge Of Reality**_

March 15th, 12:30 AM.

"How am I still numb?" Josiah murmured under his breath, cracking his knuckles as he looked over the email that Clark had sent him. "I'm working hard to find her, Sophia… I promise I won't let you down ever again."

He could feel his eyes straining as the light from the laptop illuminated the darkness of his bedroom, his fingers running over his keyboard while he read every single line, as if every little letter had a different message coded inside of it that would lead him to Akiko's whereabouts.

Subject: Recent events.  
From: ckubrick  
With the recent information that has been handed to me from the Speedwagon Foundation, we can confirm that Damon Lustbader has died from decapitation. They tossed the bastard's body into a river, where he'll rot for the rest of time. One of the staff members at the foundation wanted to keep his head, to make him atone for his sins, so that all the world could see the face of a murderer, but he didn't get the chance. A few days after he obtained the head, it was stolen, but what kind of sick freak would want that thing? The Speedwagon Foundation has declared that we must focus on more important troubles.  
After speaking with Gustavo Alcide, we can also confirm that Akiko Mikami has left downtown Osaka, but her scent still lingers in this city according to his Stand's findings. We don't have an exact location yet, but we will let you know when we find her if we have time to spare. That's one issue out of the way, so now we can focus on Akiko.

Josiah shut his laptop, leaving him in utter darkness as he put the device to the side, allowing him to pull his legs close to his chest. He buried his head near his knees, quiet sobs falling out from his lungs as he shut his eyes tightly.

"Again, I won't let you down," Josiah whispered as if there was someone next to him, but all he could feel was the cold empty space, "If I do, I don't know if I'll ever be able to live with myself, but you better believe me when I say I'll make sure you rest in peace."

[At Shinnosuke's home, around the same time…]

Shinnosuke closed his sketchbook, his hands and fingers throbbing from working for hours on end, though he used most of the work to let his mind wander away from reality for a few hours which was definitely worth the sore hands.

"Wow, even though I'm on hiatus I've managed to finish two chapters for Special of Pink!" Shinnosuke grinned and rubbed one of his hands before standing up from his wooden chair, setting his pencil next to the sketchbook that was resting on his desk.

Even though he had tried his best to push thoughts of Akiko away, it seemed that the current situation was just too important for him to ignore for long. He had only seen her in pictures on the news, the news woman calling her the slit-mouthed woman who murdered children.

The fact that she had a Stand only made him even more terrified, and she had managed to do away not only with Sophia, but two other Stand users that he assumed were strong; on top of that, she was able to fight off Clark, Josiah, and Warut from what he heard.

"But I can't back out now," Shinnosuke murmured as he walked into the hallway, his eyes set on the door to his bedroom, "I promised that I would stay in this, and I have to keep my word… I'll give my life if it means she'll be taken down. I'm so scared, though..."

Shinnosuke knew that she could be any where at this point, especially after the battle that took place in downtown Osaka, and the thought only kept drilling itself deeper into his brain. The woman who killed Sophia Milena is still out there, killing anyone else right now, and he could do nothing to prevent it from happening.

He knew that she was able to warp reality, so he could only imagine how she lured children away from their mothers, if she had not killed them first. Those poor kids never knew what was coming, and because of her they will never have a chance at living their lives.

"Damon is probably nothing compared to her in terms of power," Shinnosuke spoke to himself as he closed the door to his bedroom, grabbing his cellphone that had been sitting on a nearby shelf, "He killed people just like her, but he was much more clean about it… Akiko doesn't care as long as she can get her high, and her Stand has way too many abilities, that we know of at least. Even if we manage to corner her, she can just escape in that portal that Josiah told me about…"

What could be on the other side of that portal? The question echoed inside of his skull, but it could really be anything. It could have been a different city, something used for storage, or it could have been another dimension.

"She'll get what's coming to her," Shinnosuke whispered as he pulled his blanket off his bed, his hands still throbbing as he sank into his bed, the light emanating from his lamp not bothering him one bit, "I know that Akiko will be brought to justice, and it's going to be soon…"

[In a closed supermarket…]

Taiga tossed canned food into her plastic bag that hooked around her right arm, her footsteps had been so quiet that it made her feel as light as a feather. She was well aware that there were security guards patrolling the area, but she had managed to avoid every single one of them, as well as the security cameras.

Even if she was caught, she would easily be able to knock them without doing much damage to them in the process. Taiga always found it odd how much more resilient Stand users were, so maybe it had something to do with their spiritual strength and fortitude.

Her thoughts barely distracted her from the task at hand as she pulled wrapped and canned foods off from the shelves discreetly, a grin forcing itself onto her face as she did this. Even though this was just how she survived, she could not help but feel an intense thrill every time she did this.

Without a moment to spare, Taiga quickly darted out from the front doors of the supermarket with the plastic bag still hooked tightly around her right arm. She stopped only a minute later to catch her breath, the plastic bag still intact.

"Looks like I'm a pro at this," Taiga gave herself praise, her back resting against the trick wall of the gas station, "I didn't lose a single thing, awesome! I've only had really good luck this week!"

Taiga yawned for a brief moment, the giddy look on her face soon dissipating as she set her stolen goods onto the concrete, and the former look she sad soon turned into a blank stare.

It was odd, she had never felt her mood change so drastically in such a short amount of time. It was the first time in a while that she had felt so useless.

"I haven't even done anything to help," Taiga whispered to herself, her right hand balling up into a tight fist, "People have died, and I've done fuck all. What the hell is wrong with me?"

She punched the concrete with her prosthetic fist, cracking it slightly; she would have begged for forgiveness if any of her allies happened to be nearby, but the cold night air was her only company it seemed.

"The next time I see Akiko, I'm going to break both of her legs so she can't get away," Taiga murmured, an uneasy feeling washing over her body as she spoke, "I swear."

[With Warut and Dororesu…]

"Why didn't you tell me you went out the other night, you dumbass?!" Dororesu yelled at her father like an angry mother would, her fists grabbing onto the larger man's shirt collar tightly, her eyes filled with disappointment.

"I didn't think it was a big deal! I didn't wanna lie to you, so I figured that I should have told you the truth!" Warut argued, though it seemed as if his daughter's sudden aggressiveness had caught him off guard.

"Not a big deal, my ass! You told the truth, but it doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want!" Dororesu groaned, running her hands down her face in annoyance as she sighed. "Look, thanks for being honest, but don't do that shit ever again. Got it?"

"Yeah, got it," Warut rolled his eyes, figuring that it was in his best interests if he did not continue to argue with her, "Anyway, I haven't heard much from the others in a few days. Have they told you anything?"

"I probably know just as much as you do, dad," Dororesu replied as her angry demeanor shifted to a rather formal one, "They're still looking for Akiko, the little shit apparently ran off somewhere. We're sitting ducks until they tell us where she is."

"Figures," Warut sighed, "I can't just sit back and relax while they're searching for a serial killer… it's just not right."

"Sorry, but it's not like we can do anything else. I hate this shit too, but I can't just sit here and whine, dad." Dororesu said, though her father only chuckled.

"You sure you're my daughter? You're a little more patient than I thought you'd be!" Warut joked, his chuckling soon turning into laughter.

"Yeah, real funny," Dororesu said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes, "I'm goin' to bed. Night."

"Night!" Warut replied through his laughter, but at this point he was unsure if he was really laughing or trying to annoy his daughter.

[With Clark…]

"I don't know why, but," Clark mumbled under his breath, tearing off a piece of beef jerky with his teeth as he spoke to himself, "Something feels very off, like someone is creeping over my shoulder… I'm more impatient than usual."

He propped his feet up on his footstool as he switched the television on, which had been left on the local news. Quickly raising the volume up on the TV, he sat back in his chair and let his ears perk up as he listened to the anchorwoman.

"Within the past few weeks, the strange deaths and suicides that have been plaguing Osaka have come to a sudden stop! The police claim to have no idea what has caused these deaths, but most people believe that people were forming strange suicide pacts."

"They claim to have no idea, even though they helped Irene take down the bastard," Clark murmured to himself and then sighed, "Shinnosuke deserves to be thanked… it's a shame that people like the anchorwoman can't see Stands."

"Akiko Mikami remains at large, and many citizens have claimed to see her roaming around the streets of Osaka at night," the anchorwoman said, her voice slightly shaken, "It is unknown if this is the truth, as there is no evidence. But, the truth remains, the infamous serial killer has not been caught. But the police are hard at work to catch her, no matter what it takes."

"The police wouldn't be able to catch her if they were the top of their class," Clark ripped off yet another piece of jerk, "It's a damn shame… the Japanese government sent me to take care of her, and I can't even reassure this country that I'm going to put a damn bullet in her head."

"On a lighter note, here have not been any more reported deaths in the past week so something may have deterred the slit mouthed woman," the anchorwoman continued, "Remember to keep all of your doors locked at night, everyone. Now, we move onto weather…"

"I'm trying my best," Clark grunted before flipping his cellphone open, quickly dialing Irene Joestar's number before pressing it to his ear, "I have an idea…"

"Hello? Why are you calling so late at night, Kubrick?"

"It never occurred to me to ask about this before, but would you know of any sort of prison or confinement that would restrict Akiko from using her Stand? I'm sure that you know a handful of Stand users."

"Sadly, no. I've had the very same idea, but I know of no one with that kind of ability. The Speedwagon Foundation doesn't have the technology to restrict someone's soul, either."

"Damn," Clark sighed, "I guess there's no choice but to put her down then, huh? That's the way it has to be."

"It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but this has gotten too out of hand. So many people have died in her wake, which means we can't let her laugh it off for the rest of her days. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand. Night."

"Night."

"Damn," Clark grumbled as he pushed his cellphone back into his pocket, "I'm going to have to get some information soon on where Akiko is, or I'm going to go crazy…"

[With Jin…]

"Still nothing, huh?" Jin whispered, her seafoam green eyes staring directly into her bathroom mirror as a lump formed in her throat. "That's what I expected. Don't know where she is, and I don't know how strong she is… fuck, she would kill me on the spot without thinking about it! Nico held his own, but can I really do the same?! GODDAMN IT!"

Jin rammed her bare fist against the mirror, shattering it from the center. It only took a moment for shards of glass to fall into the sink, her fist already bleeding from the hard impact, but she barely reacted to the pain.

"There's no point to this, there was no point to Nico dying," Jin clenched her fists, tears dropping from her eyes as she fell onto her knees, "Why is she doing this? He had a mother, a father, he was someone's son! He was MINE!"

Her screams for justice were replaced by quiet sobs in a matter of moments, her fingers grabbing at the carpet of her bathroom floor as she pressed her head to it. Unintelligible words left her mouth as she cried, her body shaking erratically as her mind flashed back to the sight of Bones patting her head, and Nico laying on the cold ground.

"I swear," Jin began, her voice quiet, "The next time I see her… I'm going to murder Akiko, no matter what…"

She picked herself up from the floor, her legs weakly carrying her across the hallway and over to her bedroom. She tried her best to not stare at her now oversized bed, hell, she barely slept on it any more, but she knew that she needed something to take her mind off of this agonizing feeling in her chest.

Jin snatched her cellphone off of her dresser and steadily scrolled through her contact list until she landed on 'Josiah Joestar'.

"That guy, Josiah… he's really interesting, and he lost a friend too. I wonder…"

[Elsewhere, with Akiko…]

"Those little fucks really did kill him," Akiko murmured, the darkness around her making it nearly impossible to spot any of her surroundings, "What was his name? Shinnosuke… I'll have to remember that… what kind of ability would that little shit have? Damon didn't even flinch when I warped reality for him…"

[One month ago…]

" _Huh, what the fuck? You really must be fucked up…" Akiko chuckled almost mockingly as the younger man's surroundings shifted, though he only stared up at the night sky, completely unphased."I can even look through your most traumatic events, and you're not even giving one damn about it…"_

Meanwhile, for Damon he could not hear her. He was watching a younger version of himself strangle a familiar girl in a dark alleyway, though he was unsure of who this person was. He only watched as her neck bent, thoroughly snapped.

"Oh, it's her… almost forgot about this. Oh well."

[Back in the present…]

"It's a bit odd, but I felt a little connection to him," Akiko sighed, but chuckled as she ran her hands against what seemed to be a brick wall, "Oh well, if he was killed by a kid, he probably wasn't tough shit. I think I've lost them, too… fuck, I want to kill them all SO BADLY!"

Her deranged cry echoed inside of the building, but it did not seem that she cared. Akiko stepped further into the darkness, her fists clenched as she rid herself of her surgical mask, her perpetual grin staining her face.

"I just have to find out where they live, or… I can wait for them to come to me! It would be lovely to see the look of shock on their faces after I've beaten them down, one after another!" Akiko laughed, her cold hands running down her face. "All I have to do is wait!"

[Later that night, in Josiah's apartment…]

1:00 AM.

"Huh? Jin?" Josiah asked as he turned his bedroom lamp on, his eyes slightly stinging from the sudden light. "Why are you calling? It's one in the morning…"

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask something. Are you, uh, busy tomorrow?" Jin asked out of genuine curiosity.

"As far as I know, I shouldn't be," Josiah responded, raising an eyebrow, "Why do you ask?"

"Do you wanna hang out tomorrow? We haven't really talked much lately, so… it'd be, uh, nice to catch up."

"Sure," Josiah replied, "I just hope you don't get mad at me like that last time. Sorry, I'm really tired, so I'm going back to bed. Let me know what you wanna do tomorrow."

"Doubt it, but, okay! Talk to you tomorrow, good night!"

"Night!" Josiah said cheerfully before setting his phone on his nightstand, his hands reaching for his lamp, "Huh… that was weird, but I'm actually kinda looking forward to it!"

Josiah sighed and smiled as he fell back onto his bed, turning the lamp off as he did so, his apartment's darkness enveloping him once again as he let sleep take him.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Jin Kovich  
Age: 20  
Stand – Erratas Act 2  
Stand Statistics  
Power – B  
Speed – B  
Range – E  
Precision – B  
Durability – A  
Development Potential – A


	30. Josiah And Jin Go On A Date!

_**Josiah And Jin Go On A Date!**_

March 15th, 5:00 PM.

"Hello!" Jin Kovich bowed as Josiah opened up his front apartment door, her eyes catching a glimpse of his slightly taller frame. "I hope I'm not too late!"

"Not at all, come on in," Josiah moved out of the doorway to allow her entry, continuing to speak as she walked inside, "Do you know what you wanna do?"

"It's nothing too fancy or expensive, but I hope it'll be fine with you," Jin blushed slightly as she looked to him with her seafoam green eyes, "Do you think we could just walk around and maybe sit at the park for a bit? We can talk and learn about each other, which would be really fun!"

"That sounds good to me," Josiah smiled in response as he snatched his coat off of its rack behind the door, "Believe it or not, but I really don't like fancy things which is good for the both of us. Besides, you don't owe me anything!"

"I guess you're right," Jin twiddled her thumbs before moving towards the front door once more, her hands sliding into her jacket pockets, "Are you ready to head out?"

"Yeah, come on!" Josiah motioned for her to follow as he slipped past her, though he waited for her to catch up before walking any further, a part of him barely containing its excitement It had been a long time since he had any contact with the outside world, so this was just what he needed.

[Outside the apartment…]

Josiah and Jin were silent for a minute or two as they moved through the melting snow on the sidewalk, both of them either feeling out of place or they could feel butterflies dancing around in their gullets. A second passed, and Jin finally opened her mouth.

"I've been wondering something," Jin said, her words shaking as they fell from her lips, "I don't mean to offend you, but I don't know how else to ask this. What was she like? Your friend, that… passed away."

"She was simple," Josiah replied without hesitation, "And I mean that in a good way. She never overcomplicated anything and she took things for what they were. You know all that cliché stuff that everyone says about sweet people? Like, how they're a ray of sunshine on a rainy day? That."

"I was wondering if you could share a few stories with me," Jin nervously said, admittedly curious about their friendship, "I get it if you don't want to, I'm just really nosy. Like… were you two exceptionally close? Lovers?"

"If only," Josiah blurted out, though that was followed by a tired laugh, "Maybe things would have turned out differently if we took that step. No one knows this except for Shinnosuke, but… with a little more time, we would have been together. Maybe she wouldn't have been all alone during her death if we had been together."

"You can't say that, you don't know what would happen," Jin replied quietly, her hands rubbing together to keep the cold away, "Why didn't it happen, if I can ask that?"

"I was in a bad spot, and she knew it," Josiah said, smiling sadly, "My own mom never talked to me, not even when I was a kid. She was always so busy… the point is, is that I was constantly angry at something. There wasn't a day where I didn't nearly punch a hole in my wall, or a day where it didn't make me want to rip my hair out. Sophia helped me through it one step at a time, and she believed a relationship would just make it harder on me. Maybe she was right, but it never stopped her from nearly saying 'fuck it', and honestly I wish she did do that."

"What do you mean? Did she do something and it started the want for something more?" Jin asked, slightly confused as she stared at the man, his sky blue eyes nearly empty.

"Well… I guess it's story time, then."

[Many, many months ago…]

"Josiah, what happened this time?" Sophia asked with a sigh as the man held his head in his hands, which soon moved through his once neatly combed hair. "You aren't talking. What's wrong?"

"I talked to mom, and she was supposed to come by and have dinner with me earlier," Josiah started, his voice having a clear angry tint to it, "We were going to talk about everything, but she dropped it again. For the fourth time this damn month… she really hasn't changed, huh? I don't know what I expected."

"Hey, I'm sure she's a busy woman. Maybe she'll make up for it?" Sophia attempted to approach him, but she found herself frozen in place as the older man tugged at his hair.

"You have no goddamn idea," Josiah muttered as he pulled down harder, his fingers straining as he groaned, "Even when I was a kid, she barely took any time out of her schedule to talk with me. The only one I had was gramps, but a kid can't survive without his mom."

"Josiah," Sophia's voice softened, though she sounded worried as she stepped towards him, one of her hands reaching forward as she slipped onto the sofa, her hands moving Josiah's away from his head. "I can't stand to see you like this. I'm really sorry, I just… I want to do what I can."

"What the hell are you doing?" Josiah murmured as he felt Sophia's fingers intertwine with his own, every hair on the back of his neck standing up as she moved closer, though she only sighed and stared at him for a brief moment. "No, what the fuck are you doing?"

"Please, stop screaming," Sophia sobbed as her nose sniffled, her fingers squeezing Josiah's as her smaller frame shook, though the man only looked at her with confusion, "I can't stand to watch you fall apart like this... you're going to be okay, alright? I know you're going to be okay..."

"Sophia," Josiah only wrapped his arms around her tightly as he sobbed as well, one of his hands resting on her head as he sighed shakily, "I'm sorry, it's okay... you're right, it'll be okay."

[Back in the present…]

"I see… I mean, that does prove that she's just as human as you," Jin said, "I guess she really did care about you more than anyone else... I'm sorry."

"You have no good reason to be sorry, so don't apologize," Josiah advised her, a small smirk growing on his face as he spoke, "We're both bleeding hearts, huh?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," Jin sighed, grinning brightly towards Josiah, "Sophia sounds like a really nice girl. I probably would have liked her a lot!"

"Everyone loved her," Josiah chuckled, his eyes having a strange brightness residing in them suddenly as he spoke, "She gave her life to protect someone else, and only one in a million people have that kind of selflessness. It was a blessing, really."

"She reminds me of Nico," Jin replied, "He would try his best to protect me, even when I told him I could do something on my own. I was afraid of my own shadow back then, still kind of am… but, he never thought twice when I was in trouble."

"Really? Can I hear about this?" Josiah asked, his ears perking slightly as his sky blue eyes shifted towards her, the view of the park soon disappearing from his field of vision.

"Sure! I think this was sometime around last year…"

[Around a year ago…]

"Hey, why're ya ignorin' me?!" An adenoidal voice rang through Jin's eardrums as she attempted to walk past the alleyway, one of her green eyes catching the sight of the older man who had only been wearing a stained white tank-top and black shorts, spit flapping from his gums.

"Just ignore him," Jin murmured to herself as her feet pushed through the empty street, her hands in her pockets as she walked faster, though she had managed to catch a glimpse of the man coming out from the tight alleyway, "Please, leave me alone. Nico, I thought you said you were gonna wait for me!"

"Hey, you dumb bitch!" He growled as he watched Jin stop in her tracks, his hands rubbing together as he approached the seemingly fragile woman. "You don't ignore me like that! That's rude! Do I have to teach you a lesson?"

"Out of the way," a familiar voice made itself known to Jin as a tall shadow loomed towards the approaching man, her head turning to confirm that it was her lover, "What did you just call her, you asshat?"

"Eh? The hell do you want? I want that dumb bitch to apologize for ignoring a handsome man like me, but it's none of your damn business!" As the man spoke, it was obvious that he was not prepared for what followed.

Nico's flat hand impacted the side of the portly man's face, giving his left cheek a reminder to watch his mouth; the man shrieked in pain as Nico retracted his hand, the left side of his face almost completely numb.

"Do you know what you're supposed to say now, you pathetic pig?" Nico spat near his shoes, one of his hands in his pockets as he looked towards Jin. "He didn't hurt you, did he? Sorry that I have to be so rough with him."

"I-it's fine, and no, he didn't hurt me at all…" Jin murmured as she stared at her lover's back, her heart fluttering for only a moment as she sighed, relieved. "Thank you…"

"What was that for?! I just wanted the broad to apologize, but you thought slapping me was a good idea! Who in the fuck do you think you are, protecting a filthy, useless skank like her?!" The man screamed, his spit landing on Nico's shirt.

"It looks like," Nico started, cracking his knuckles as he took one step forward, "I didn't hit you hard enough."

"Whaddaya-" the man was cut short as Nico's fist met with his mouth, the former feeling as if his teeth were going to be forced down into his wide gullet; Nico would then move that fist away and use his other, which came in contact with his chin.

"This is a warning," Nico said coldly as he retracted his fist, "If I ever hear you speak about her like that again, I'll break your legs and throw you in a dumpster. Are we clear?"

"Nico, please, calm down!" Jin interrupted, tugging on shirt sleeve which made his heart beat a little bit slower, her seafoam green eyes locking with his own.

"Okay, it's fine, see?" Nico turned away from the battered man and threw an arm over Jin's shoulders, sighing. "Let's head home, alright?"

"Alright."

[Back in the present…]

"I like him even more now," Josiah said with a smirk, "I'm sure he always fought his hardest when it came to you, and you probably don't doubt that either. I don't think I'd have the guts to just beat the shit out of someone like that!"

"Yeah, I didn't think he would do it either," Jin laughed as she slid onto the park bench, her feet resting on the ground below, "Come on, there's enough room for the both of us!"

"Will do," Josiah sat on the bench and put his hands together for warmth, "It must have been really great to have known him for so long. I really should have fought harder, maybe then, he… well, never mind. Sorry, now isn't the time to blame ourselves."

"It's fine, I understand the feeling," Jin nodded understandingly, "It was a privilege to talk to him, at least I think so. I know he gave it everything he had, but… well, uh, anyway. How did you meet Sophia?"

"I think it was around April, about two years ago? I was partnered up with her at my desk job, so I got pretty lucky," Josiah said, looking off into the distance as the sound of far away vehicles drove through now clear roads, "I expected to be put up with some smart ass who stuck me with all the work, but she always put one hundred percent effort in the smallest of assignments. I can't say I was the same, but it was something to look up to. It was just luck, I guess."

"I don't think it was luck at all," Jin said softly, interrupting Josiah before he could continue, "I think it was because of fate that you two met, and I think that's why I met Nico, too. It's a little silly, but I think it's our destiny to meet these people so we can shape out our lives accordingly… but, that's just what I think. But doesn't that sound a lot more appealing than it being dumb luck?"

"It really does," Josiah sighed, feeling as if his heart had sank into his chest, "Then is it fate that she died? That Nico died? That all of those children died because of one single woman who kills for laughs?"

"I-It could be," Jin stammered, easily able to tell that Josiah spoke as if he had a lump inside of his throat, "I can't say, I don't know what caused any of this… if that's fate, then Akiko's destiny is to face justice, but that's just what I think. Don't you believe that, too?"

"It's hard to tell any more, if I have to be honest," Josiah replied, his chest heavy as he pressed one of his hands onto it, "What if she gets away before we can catch her? There's no reason for her to stick around, unless she's really that adamant about killing all of us… is there really any point to this? Even if we find out where she is, she can escape just as easily."

"You can't have that kind of attitude, Josiah," Jin said, frowning, "You have to have faith that we can catch her off guard and put her down when she isn't expecting it. I'm scared too, but I don't think we have a choice other than hoping we can catch her."

"If all we can do is hope, then that's not something I want to do," Josiah murmured as he stared down at his feet, his body shaking slightly as he ran one of his hands through his brown hair, "I want to take action. I want to take her down! I can't just sit here and wait while more people might be dying, and it's my fault for not stopping her when I had the damn chance!"

"Josiah, you can't blame yourself like that! I can't let you do that!" Jin retorted, though she stopped herself from saying anything more as she heard quiet sobbing emit from his lips. "J-Josiah?"

"I don't know why you even try to talk to me," Josiah sobbed as he hid his face away from the woman, embarassment running through his bones as he spoke, "I couldn't save the love of your life, how can you stand me? I'm pathetic, I can't save anyone!"

"You're wrong," Jin responded without a moment's hesitation, her body shaking as warm tears ran down her face, "You didn't even know what was going on, so how could you have saved him? If it's anyone's fault, it was mine!"

"Nico died to protect you, that was his choice! So don't blame yourself either!" Josiah nearly screamed at her, though he attempted to not do such a thing as his fingers dug into his pant legs. "If I had gotten there a minute earlier, he would still be alive and you would be happy!"

"You can't just say that, you can't," Jin found herself staring at him, her eyes sore as he moved to look at her, "Josiah, please, even if you did try to help he would just tell you to stay out of his way! That's just him, you know? You didn't know he was fighting so hard, so take a deep breath and STOP BLAMING YOURSELF!"

"Okay, okay," Josiah muttered, his bloodshot sky blue eyes looking towards Jin as he took a deep breath, his hands still shaking erratically, "I'm sorry, Jin. I'm really sorry… I wish I could have done so much more to prevent all of this. Neither of us deserve this, and this sure as hell isn't your fault if what you're saying is true."

"You're right," Jin nodded in agreement, "I can't let her get away with this, she's destroyed too many people's lives… do you think we can actually do this?"

"We don't have a choice, but hey," Josiah smiled suddenly, extending his hand towards Jin, "Even if we fail, we'll just have to pick each other up and try again. I promise she won't get away with this for much longer. Can you trust in me?"

"I trust you, but you better trust me when I say that no one is getting left behind," Jin smiled back in response, her hand firmly holding onto his before shaking it, "I came into this knowing full well I could die. There is no way in hell that she'll take away anything that I hold dear, ever again."

"You're damn right," Josiah said quietly, shaking her hand firmly and tightly, "Let's go somewhere else, okay? I think getting a bite to eat would help before we both head home, unless you wanted to talk a bit more."

"I'd love to talk more! I'm not too picky with restaurants, so you pick, okay?" Jin stood up as Josiah did so as well, who had taken out his wallet in preparation.

"We'll see about that, I think I'm in the mood to drain my wallet dry," Josiah joked before slipping it back into his pocket, a small chuckle leaving his lips as he walked past Jin, "Alright, follow me!"

[Later that night…]

10:00 PM.

Josiah stood in front the door to his apartment, a genuine smiling on his face as he yawned, his eyes incredibly tired and bloodshot; in front of him was Jin, who had been doing nearly the same thing.

"That was really fun, so we should do that again sometime," Josiah recommended cheerfully, "Maybe once all of this blows over we can have a bit more fun."

"I think so, too! Thanks for everything today, Josiah, it meant a lot to me!" Jin thanked him and then bowed before turning her back away from him.

"Hey, Jin!" Josiah called, prompting her to stop in her tracks so she could turn and look back at him.

"What is it, Josiah?"

"Goodnight, and be sure to sleep well, okay?"

"Heh, right," Jin bowed once more before turning away, "Goodnight to you too, JoJo!"

"Night," Josiah waved just as she walked out of sight, his hand soon pushing the door to his apartment open, "JoJo, huh? I haven't been called that in a long time… I could get used to it again."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **C** **HARACTER BIO  
** Name: Jin Kovich  
Age: 20  
Stand – Erratas Act 2  
Stand Statistics  
Power – B  
Speed – B  
Range – E  
Precision – B  
Durability – A  
Development Potential – A


	31. Fissure of the Heart

_**Fissure of the Heart**_

April 4th, 11:45 AM.

"And you're positive that she's hiding out there? Are you one hundred percent sure, Gustavo?" Clark questioned as he pressed his cell phone against his ear, his suitcase dangling from his other hand as he stared out his apartment's window.

"I've never been more sure," Gustavo Alcide replied, "Irene told me that we're going to investigate that area together. When do you think a good time would be?"

"I can go at any time," Clark said, scratching his chin before his partner could continue, "Give me two or three hours, though. I don't think it should be just us two, we'll need backup if we run into her."

"The mission isn't to kill her, otherwise Irene would have told me to call everyone for a twenty four hour long manhunt," Gustavo informed, "Our mission is to gather information on the area, so we can potentially have the upperhand when we do find her. I do agree, though. Who do you have in mind?"

"You'll see. I'll call you back whenever I'm ready to go," Clark responded and promptly ended the call with Gustavo, his hand pushing the phone into his pants pocket, "I guess it's time to go ahead and pay Jin a visit."

[Jin Kovich's home, fifteen minutes later…]

Jin nearly jumped out of her bed as heavy knocks hit her front door, her heart pounding fiercely as her eyes were now wide open in fear. The knocking only continued as she slipped out of bed, her mind unsure of what to do, but her mouth soon spoke anyway.

"Uh, sorry! Give me a few minutes!" Jin called out as she stumbled towards her closet, her hands pushing down various kinds of shirts and coats, her seafoam green eyes scanning through them before she eventually stopped. "Well, this is better than nothing…]

[Five minutes pass…]

Jin opened up the front door of her house to see Clark, his large and muscular frame as unintentionally imposing as ever; she nearly jumped back before she had realized it was him, which led her to sigh with relief.

"Oh, s-sorry! You're really scary when I can't get a good look at you!" Jin stammered, laughing nervously as she looked up at him, his faded violet eyes at ease. "So, uh, what did you need, Clark?"

"It's fine, don't worry," Clark responded nonchalantly, "We might know where Akiko's location is. Do you want to be my backup while we investigate with Gustavo?"

"Huh? Wait, why me?" Jin asked, shivering slightly from the breeze outside; the sight of this was enough to prompt Clark to walk in and shut the door behind him. "I couldn't really do much if she got away from you before… what makes you so certain I would be able to back you up if you needed it?"

"Don't you remember how you helped me when we fought Cyrus? You did a damn good job, and it'd be a mistake if I didn't trust you with my safety after that." Clark reminded her, quite persistent in convincing her to tag along.

"But, look at me! I'm just some kid with no experience, how can you expect me to be able to help out that much?" Jin retorted loudly, her hands quivering as she stepped closer to the older man, her jaw clenched.

"What, do you think I started out as the most experienced man in the world?" Clark stared down at her, clearly unfazed as she yelled. "If you really don't believe you're right for the job, then give me a few minutes. I'm going to tell you a story."

"You won't change my mind…" Jin murmured as she sank onto her beige sofa, her legs crossed as Clark sat down on the recliner, which had been placed in front of the sofa.

"Back in November 1990, I was serving in the United States military," Clark started, sitting back as he slowly started to stare at the ceiling, "We were working with so-called Kuwaiti soldiers, working to liberate their country, but things are never that easy… they were double agents. God, I remember it like it was only yesterday."

[Many, many years ago…]

November 17th, 1990. 6:04 PM.

Western Asia, Kuwait. US Base.

"How many are there, Peanut?" Clark whispered to his comrade as they slipped through the shadows, each of them only carrying a single revolver. He could feel sweat run down his face as his heart beat ferociously, his friend grabbing onto his shoulder.

"I dunno, can't tell," Peanut whispered, his fingers sore from simply how tightly he was gripping his weapon, "Maybe a dozen? Maybe a little over a dozen? I can't believe this shit…"

"Come on, we gotta do something-" Clark's skin felt as cold as ice for a moment as he heard a gunshot rattle off, the sound echoing off the walls.

"FUCK!" Peanut screamed as he fell onto the floor, his hands gripping his stomach, which soon became caked in fresh blood.

Clark quickly turned around to see a familiar man, though he did not hesitate for a moment as he aimed his pistol at his foot; he quickly fired faster than the gunman could react, his feet rushing him over within a matter of seconds, which allowed him to give his chin a firm uppercut.

He would ram the butt of his revolver against the assailant's temple before running back to his comrade, though his ears perked up as he heard footsteps approach from further down the base. Quickly, he ditched his camouflage armor and pressed it to Peanut's stomach, one of his hands taking Peanut's.

"Keep this pressed to your stomach, no matter what," Clark panted as he pressed his back to the wall, the distant footsteps slowly growing closer with every passing second, "It's not something that will last long, so just hold out. I'll hurry!"

Clark quickly ran out from the corner, his pistol pointed at the wall as the two armed men came out from the darkness, their eyes wide with shock as this young American moved like a blur. His revolver fired towards the wall twice, which caused them to point their rifles at him; this would have proven to be threatening if it was not for the fact that the bullets had ricocheted and struck them in the back.

"Three down," Clark spun his revolver before easing towards the corridor, his ear pressed against the wall as he panted, "God knows how many to go… those bastards won't get away with this."

An hour had passed before Clark had managed to make it all the way down the corridor, as he took it slow and steady so he would not make a fatal mistake. The shootout had taken that long to settle, and the bodies of traitors littered the hallway. His body was drenched in sweat and shaking as he walked into the seemingly empty room, a metal door at the very end of it.

"Hold it," a calm yet booming voice entered his ears as he felt the cold press of a gun barrel against the back of his head, "You're not moving another inch, you shit stain. Are you going to cry? Will you die like a man?"

As if a flood of rage had entered him, Clark whipped around and knocked the gun out of the mysterious man's hand, though a hard punch to the face soon followed; he dropped his own revolver which had allowed him to reciprocate the punch.

"That's ENOUGH!" Clark screamed as he nimbly dodged what would have been a second blow to the face, his arms suddenly wrapping around the man as he charged forward, the force of his own muscular frame slamming the attacker into the wall.

"Dumb American trash!" The would-be assailant counterattacked by grabbing Clark by his head, his knee impacting his forehead which forced him off; a groan of pain exited Clark's lips as he rolled over, his body shaking as pain wracked it mercilessly.

 _I can't stop now! I have no choice but to keep moving!_ Clark picked his slowly numbing body off of the ground, which had been perfect timing to move away from an incoming kick; he grabbed the man's leg and threw him onto the cold ground, his elbow coming down like a meteor as it crashed against his chest.

Clark backed up a few feet and picked up his revolver, though he nearly dropped it as the man would attempt to tackle him; the young American man responded by greeting his fist with the side of his head, and then pushed him several feet away.

Clark nearly vomited as his chest heaved, his pistol pointed at the still standing man, who had all but fallen over from the severe beating he was taking. Hell, Clark was surprised that he was still standing, and his eyes had him seeing doubles.

"His life is over," Clark murmured as he took aim, one of his eyes shut as he took a step back, the man's body merely standing there, "I can take him out right now…"

Clark pulled the trigger just as the man attempted to rush him, though oddly enough he could not see a bullet for the life of him; instead he watched as the man was thrust back towards the wall, which had cracked slightly from the impact.

"H-huh?" Clark looked at his revolver before dropping it, seeing a strangely colored hand that resembled camouflage; though, before he could turn around he only fell to his knees, his world turning black as he went under.

[Back in present day…]

"That was how Voltaire awakened," Clark continued, his faded violet eyes now focusing on the young woman in front of him, "I could have killed him, but I didn't. I was in a situation where the odds were stacked against me, but I came out in top at the end. You're just like me, Jin… you have so much unrealized potential."

"Unrealized potential?" Jin stared down at her hands as her gauntlets materialized, though they had a strange faded green glow to them. "I want to help. I want to bring Akiko to justice, I won't become like her… I'm nothing like her, and I'll never stoop to her level! My father, Frantz, always told me that killing should never be a resort, and that I should trust my humanity. I think I finally understand…"

The gauntlets suddenly had a bright glow to them as they slipped off of Jin's hands and lifted into the air, the shape of them soon twisting into what seemed to be a tall man, though it became much more clear as the glow faded.

The appearance of the Stand had changed greatly, as it was now six feet tall and humanoid. Its face and head had been hidden by a white bandana which had been placed above a pair of black sunglasses which had an intense green glow behind them. From the back of its head had been long black hair that reached its back, and its abdomen held a six pack. Its body was majorly hidden by leather armor, as well.

"Jin… you've done it. What do you think now? Are you really not ready for this?" Clark smiled towards her as he stepped towards her, extending his hand as Erratas crossed its arms, the eyes behind its sunglasses analyzing what it thought as its ally.

"I told you I was ready to die if it meant stopping her," Jin extended her hand as her newly formed Stand phased into her body, "I'm coming."

"Good, I expected nothing less," Clark grinned and shook his ally's hand firmly, nothing but a sense of pride in his heart, "I believe in you, and you better believe in yourself. Sure took a damn while to knock some sense into that stubborn head of yours!"

"Haha, yeah," Jin smiled cheerfully as she let go of his hand, her muscles soon relaxing while she pried herself off her sofa, "Are we going right away?"

"I'll call Gustavo and tell him to pick us up, so let's head outside."

[Fifteen minutes pass, in Gustavo's car…]

"With any luck, we won't run into her while we investigate," Gustavo said as he turned to the left, his fingers grazing along the steering wheel, "Are you sure you want to come along, Jin?"

"Mhm, it's the least I could do!" Jin nodded eagerly, one leg crossed over the other as she looked towards Gustavo. "Clark mentioned that your Stand isn't really made for fighting, so what will you do if she shows up?"

"It isn't that strong in the physical department, but I can do anything twice within a minute," Gustavo sighed, his heart suddenly sinking into his chest, "Now that I think about it, that's kind of lost its luster…"

"Yeah, I can't imagine how would you able to do much damage, though you're really fast! Just try not to get hurt if we get into trouble. Right, Clark?"

"Right," Clark started, his violet eyes focused on the road laid before them, "Are we almost there? I have a feeling that we should hurry and get this over with. Before we get there, I want to establish something: no splitting up. I don't think we could survive in a one on one against her if it came down to it."

"We're almost there, just give me thirty more seconds," Gustavo replied, shaking slightly from the thought of being up against the killer, "We also have to remember that it's perfectly fine to run away if we need to. There's no shame in running away so we can formulate a better plan."

"You're right," Jin said with a light nod as the vehicle came to a slow stop, "Well, let's go!"

[A minute or two passes…]

The surrounding area was slightly more pleasant than downtown Osaka, though they had still driven south to survey the new area. The familiar stench of mildew was in the air, but it was a bit more faint than usual; coupled with this, the buildings weren't as run down, and the only damage they had sustained were cracked windows.

"It looks like human garbage is attracted to trash after all," Clark murmured as Sixty Minute Man crawled along the ground, its featureless face looking forward (at least it seemed that way) as it did so, its user right behind it, "What are you picking up, Alcide?"

"She's definitely here," Gustavo said as he wiped fresh sweat from his brow, "Akiko is far away, but her aura is insane. I'll let you know if we get too close."

It only took them four or five minutes before the three of them had arrived at an open warehouse, the inside of it only visible because of the sun, though it had looked completely empty from the outside.

"Well, all we managed to find are tall buildings and a lot of tight alleyways," Jin mumbled, her hand resting on her chin, "Attacking from above might be a good strategy… do you think there's anything in this warehouse, though?"

"There's only one way to find out," Clark said and stepped into the barren building, his left hand stuck in his pocket while his drained violet eyes observed the surrounding area, "I can't see anything…"

"Come on then, Gustavo." Jin motioned for him to follow as she stepped inside, Erratas materializing next to her as she walked; her eyes soon picked up the sight of a handle sticking out from the floor about halfway in. "Huh? Is that a way down?"

"Good eye!" Gustavo complimented her and bent down on one knee as he arrived, one of his hands wrapping around the iron bar, though it seemed that he could not open it. "The hell? Is this stuck or something?"

"Probably," an unknown voice said, which made the three look towards the entrance, all of their eyes wide as they stared at the slender frame that belonged to none other than Akiko Mikami, "Want me to give it a go?"

"GET BACK!" Clark barked like a drill seargeant and drew out his bulldog revolver, quickly pulling the trigger as an air bullet zoomed towards Akiko, her Stand quickly phasing into existence, its fists clenched.

Akiko quietly yet somewhat audibly expressed disinterest, her eyes rolling as The Plot In You quickly flicked the air bullet just as it reached its hand. "Do you ever try anything new? What a predictable old man."

Clark could barely register what she had done, though it was too late; he could feel the pressure from the Stand-made bullet press against his chest, forcing his body to slam against the back wall of the warehouse.

"CLARK!" Jin screamed as her feet suddenly carried her towards Akiko, her teeth clenched as one of her hands grasped the slit-mouthed woman's throat, her fingers digging into it as Erratas picked up her Stand as well, the two of them shoving their opponents into the hard iron floor in a perfectly synced motion.

"Damn, you're pissed today!" Akiko coughed and ripped off her mask, a small bit of wet blood falling from her lip as an intense orange aura surrounded her body. "That hurt like hell too, you fucking brat. I was just minding my own business, and you attack me?"

"I have nothing to say to you!" Jin cried as Erratas threw itself at The Plot In You, its fists moving at a speed that seemed almost blinding, though the opposing Stand soon reciprocated, their fists colliding every second.

"So, you have a Stand now too, huh? Too little too late for your good old boyfriend, isn't it?!" Akiko laughed loudly and obnoxiously as they traded blows, though neither of them showed any signs of faltering.

Jin stepped to the side nimbly and dodged a punch, which allowed her to swing forward, her own Stand delivering one across its enemy's cheek; the girl stepped back a few feet, sighing as she stared down at the floor.

"I don't get it," Jin mumbled, though her seafoam green eyes pierced through Akiko's as she looked straight up at her, "You keep ranting and bragging about how you've killed. So fucking what? Who cares? Clearly no one normal gives a shit until you end up taking the life of someone they love… what the hell is wrong with you? Why all this killing? IT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE!"

"It's more of a question of why not," Akiko licked her lips, her hands now resting on her hips as she smirked confidently, "Really, who does care? Ever since I started killing, people have been attracted to it like a car crash. I'm an urban legend, did you know that? I kill because I love it, and people watch because they love it. The only reason you got in my way is because I killed your precious boyfriend, isn't that right?"

"Y-you wanna know something? I was scared of you. I was _terrified_!" Jin started, her eyes burning into Akiko's skull. "I _made_ Nico do everything in his power to keep us AWAY from you, and yet you killed him without a second thought! Contrary to your belief, I actually had the mind to stay away from freaks like YOU!"

"How cute-"

"AND YOU SHOULD KNOW BY NOW TO _NEVER, EVER_ TALK ABOUT NICO!" Jin screamed and made a mad dash for Akiko, her fists clenched as Erratas moved forward as well, its fists bombarding the unguarded murderer.

"What the hell is this?!" Akiko attempted to throw a punch at Erratas, though blood was soon flying out from her mouth and her nostrils as the gloved fists repeatedly met with her slender frame, her bones cracking with every blow.

"Whatever happens to you now IS YOUR FAULT!" Jin nearly screeched as Erratas tossed Akiko into the air, though it soon jumped upward as well and landed a direct kick to her abdomen, sending her skidding across the floor.

Akiko attempted to pick herself up, rolling away from Jin for a moment until she gathered the strength to pick herself up, though she could feel something odd from behind her; she turned to see Clark, weakly standing on his feet as he aimed at Akiko.

"TAKE THIS!" Clark shouted as he fired, the bullet coming in contact with Akiko's Stand as it materialized, though it was not what it seemed; a sudden explosion engulfed her, causing her to groan in annoyance and clear agony.

"You won't get away!" Gustavo shouted as Sixty Minute Man launched itself at The Plot In You, though a crimson fist emerged from the smoke, planting itself against the faceless creature's gut, which forced its user to fall to his knees.

"We can't have this!" Akiko yelled as her Stand materialized its pair of enormous scissors, which it then drug through the air, the familiar rift now in plain sight.

"I won't let you get away again!" Clark exclaimed as he nearly pulled the trigger once more, only to be met with a swift blow to the gut, which knocked him flat onto the floor, his eyes shutting as he did so.

Akiko quickly dove into the rift which closed nearly immediately, though Jin and Gustavo rushed up to Clark, carefully picking him up as the latter reached into his pocket to take out his cell phone, his face pale with shock.

"I'm going to call the Speedwagon Foundation, Clark took a really bad beating!" Gustavo exclaimed, slowly moving the elderly man out of the warehouse with Jin.

"R-right!"

It only took ten minutes for an ambulance marked with the Speedwagon Foundation logo to arrive, the doctors in the back of the vehicle handling the unconscious Clark Kubrick with great care, allowing Jin and Gustavo to sit in the back to watch over him.

[Sometime later, in the same warehouse…]

Akiko's shadow stained the desolate floor of the warehouse, her eyes staring down at an odd object on the floor, which she soon recognized as a cell phone. She grinned and bent down, picking it up as she chuckled.

"Oh my, what a clumsy man…"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Jin Kovich  
Age: 20  
Stand: Erratas Act 3  
Stand Statistics  
Power – A  
Speed – A  
Range – A  
Durability – A  
Precision – A  
Development Potential – E


	32. Cut From Ear to Ear (1)

_**Cut From Ear to Ear (1)**_

April 6th, 12:30 PM.

Speedwagon Foundation Headquarters, Medical Department.

"How are you holding up, Kubrick?" Jothan asked as he sat on the padded chair next to Clark's hospital bed. "I didn't think she would give you that much of a beating… then again, at my old age, worse has happened to me!"

"Yeah, I know," Clark sighed and looked up at the plain white ceiling, soon exhaling out from his nostrils as he grumbled, "When can I get the hell out of this bed?"

"I was told that the doctor was going to let you go after one more physical exam," Jothan replied and rested a hand on Clark's shoulder, "How are you feeling? There isn't any internal pain, right?"

"The bullet she flicked back at me wasn't lethal, so I got lucky," Clark said, "I'm ashamed that I let her get away so quickly… we got a clear idea of the area, but she got away again! Are Jin and Gustavo okay? Did they get hurt?"

"Gustavo got hit pretty hard, but he's fine," Jothan answered, squeezing the older man's shoulder lightly, "Jin put up a damn good fight from what I was told, so she's completely fine. I didn't think she'd do so well, but she didn't have a scratch on her."

"Amazing," Clark murmured, his mouth open slightly before his lips curved into a smile, "To tell you the truth, that woman gives me hope for the future. Oh, and before I forget… does everyone else know what happened?"

"Yeah, we had our staff contact the others," Jothan started and nodded firmly, "Josiah seemed to be concerned the most, though he kept apologizing for not being there. He does that a lot."

"I've noticed," Clark said sarcastically with a roll of his violet eyes, "He's a good kid, but he really needs to figure out that not everything is his fault."

"Tell me about it," Jothan sighed as the door behind him opened slowly, the doctor holding a clipboard between his arm and his side, "So, can he go home?"

"Just give me a few minutes and I'll be able to tell you," the doctor said, taking a few steps towards Clark's bed, "I'll have to ask you to leave Mister Joestar, for the sake of my patient's confidential information."

"Right, I understand." Jothan gave the slightly older man a quick thumbs up before shutting the door behind him, his hands slipping into his coat pockets as he waited.

[Ten minutes pass…]

The door slid open and Clark stepped into the hallway, his wrinkled hands clenched into fists, his teeth grinding against each other.

"The doctor told me not to do anything dangerous," Clark grumbled, clearly annoyed as he moved rather quickly, "It might be hard on my body if I push myself… what a crock of shit, I don't got a damn choice."

"I'd ask you to reconsider, but that would make me a helluva hypocrite, so do whatever you think is right," Jothan said, practically giving up any hope he had to stop Clark from doing something rash, "In any case, what do you think our next move should be?"

"No damn idea," Clark remarked, reaching into his pocket for a piece of beef jerky, "On top of that, I lost my cell phone, so I can't contact anyone! We're gonna have to find out where she is again without drawing attention… this whole fucking situation is ridiculous!"

"I understand, but calm down," Jothan acknowledged his problem, though he attempted to act as the voice of reason, "We just need to look at the information that you three managed to obtain, and then go from there. We're bound to corner her if we're careful."

"Thinking about this shit just makes me angry," Clark shook his head, ripping a piece of jerky apart with his teeth, "Where did Jin and Gustavo go?"

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you!" Jothan replied rather positively, though Clark was unsure if it was merely to keep morale high. "Gustavo has been talking to Irene about the information you guys got ahold of; Jin was here thirty minutes ago, but she said she was going to hang out with Josiah and some of his friends at the park."

"That's where I'm going then. I'll see you around." Clark took a second bite out from his jerky before walking away from Jothan, who simply sighed.

"What a stubborn old man… kinda reminds me of the old days."

[Sometime later, at the park…]

1:10 PM.

Josiah, Warut, and Jin had been sitting on the park bench in front of Ryo Saburo, the little boy that Jin had played a game of catch with several weeks ago. The four of them had been sweating profusely, their pant legs covered in dirt and grass stains.

"It's so hard to believe that this kid has a Stand. Did you believe it when you saw it, guys?" Warut asked and pointed at Ryo, who had been tossing a baseball up into the air, only for his Stand to catch it.

"It was so hard not to," Jin responded, chuckling through her incessant panting, "Good lord… and the power he has behind his swings is unbelievable! He knocked me off my feet a few times!"

"Yeah, I didn't expect that The Outfield was even faster than Downplay," Josiah smirked, bits of his hair matted to his face from the sweat, "Hell, when I was a kid my Stand almost killed me because I couldn't control it! I can't imagine the kind of mental fortitude Ryo has!"

"I told you that I'm really strong!" Ryo bragged, grinning widely as he sat down, his hands rummaging  
and feeling through the short grass. "I can beat everyone at my school at baseball, and I even beat three grown ups! I'm the best baseball player in the world!"

"Mhm! You really are at the top!" Jin clapped her hands for him as he bragged about his achievements, though she turned as a shadow of a large man was cast over the bench.

"It didn't take too long to find you," Clark started, his faded violet eyes focusing on the small child who was barely shaken by the large man, "Hey, I'm going to talk to my friends for a few minutes! Is that alright?"

"You're their friend, too? Wow, you guys are popular!" Ryo nodded approvingly, his grin showing his pearly white teeth. "Go ahead, mister!"

"Thanks!" Clark waved to him as his three comrades followed him until he stopped under a massive oak tree. "I was told that you know what happened the other day. Is this true?"

"Yeah," Warut replied, his arms crossed as he spoke, "Are you okay? I heard you got beat up pretty damn bad."

"That doesn't matter," Clark retorted, his hands balling up into tight fists as he sighed heavily, "I'm sorry that I failed to get rid of her. I'll try harder next time… which means she's dead when we meet again. Even if I have to sacrifice myself."

"Don't talk like that," Josiah said calmly, "You were able to get some info about the surrounding area, so it should be fine. I doubt Akiko would change locations so easily, so I don't think you should worry too much."

"You might be right," Clark sighed, leaning against the oak tree, "Where are the others? I thought they would be with you three."

"Shinnosuke is working on his manga, so he's pretty busy today. I think I'm gonna go visit him later, though," Josiah said informatively, "Taiga is probably hanging out in my apartment and stealing my food. What about your daughter, Warut?"

"She's at home, probably," Warut guessed, shrugging afterward, "Were we supposed to meet up or something? I didn't know."

"No, it's fine," Clark assured him, "I'm just happy to know that everyone knows what happened. I have to do some more investigating, so I'll let you know if I find anything. Can you be patient with me?"

"Of course! You're why we got this far in the first place!" Jin nodded eagerly, smiling brightly which only made the old man smirk.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Clark said as he moved away from the oak tree, his hands slipping into his coat pockets, "I'm going to head off now. You three have fun for the time being, alright?"

"Right!" Josiah shouted as Clark walked away, leaving the three alone in the park with Ryo, who had been waiting patiently for their return.

[Several hours later, Shinnosuke's house…]  
6:45 PM.

"Oh god, my drawing hand hurts!" Shinnosuke whined as he set his sketchbook down, his left hand throbbing. "I guess that means it's time to stop drawing for now…"

Shinnosuke yawned as he pushed his chair out from his desk, his entire body feeling rather worn out and heavy; maybe he should not have worked all day without a break, because he could certainly feel the effect it had left on his lanky form.

"I haven't seen Josiah all day, maybe I should go pay him a visit! But I wonder if he'd care if I showed up unannounced?" Shinnosuke murmured to himself as he approached his front door, only to nearly jump out of his skin as a hard knock met with his ears.

It took Shinnosuke a moment to reach his hand out to the front door, his entire body still shaking from the intensity and the suddenness of the knock; he slowly turned the doorknob and pulled the door open, his eyes widening as he got a good look at the person outside.

"Surprised to see me?" Akiko chuckled as she stepped towards his front door, only for him to immediately shut the door and make a mad dash away from it.

Shinnosuke made his way to his living room, though he quickly turned around to see his front door fly off its hinges and crash against the wall, nearly shattering it from the sheer force of the throw.

The slender man quickly dashed towards his bedroom, sweat pouring down his pale face as he threw the door open, his eyes darting around the room; hurriedly, he reached under his bed and pulled out what appeared to be a thick wooden table leg.

Shinnosuke pressed his back to the wall, his hands clutching the blunt leg close as her footsteps only grew closer; should he call Josiah? Was she fast enough to kill him before he would pick up, or was she actually slower than he imagined? Thoughts whirled through his head as he attempted to steady his breathing, his heart nearly skipping a beat as the doorknob turned slowly.

"Shinnosuke, where are you?" Akiko hummed almost mockingly as the door opened, allowing Shinnosuke to suddenly jump forward and swing the table leg at her left arm, which managed to hit her; as she grunted in anger, the young man ran around her, a white aura surrounding his body as he came to a stop.

"Why are you here and how did you know where I live?" Shinnosuke asked, panting heavily as he clutched the table leg even more tightly. "I'm scared, but… don't think I won't do what it takes to make sure I survive!"

"I guess it doesn't matter in the end," Akiko chuckled before grunting in annoyance, a short burst of pain shooting through her left arm whenever she attempted to move it, "I stole Clark's phone after they left… did they tell you about how I kicked his old ass? His phone had so much contact information, and everyone's addresses! After I'm done here, I'll move onto the next person on the list! I'm a genius, right?"

"You aren't touching anyone else as long as I'm still breathing!" Shinnosuke shouted merely a second after the murderer had finished speaking, the aura around his body growing. "If you're going to hurt anyone, it's only going to be me! I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH ANYONE ELSE!"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Akiko licked her lips before she started to run towards the scrawny man, her Stand materializing as she approached him, "You killed Damon, but that isn't really that impressive!"

Shinnosuke attempted to jump out of the way, though he was met with a hard fist to the face that sent him flying several feet away; just as Akiko went to follow up her first attack, she could not help but notice the strange glow beneath her.

"You don't know how my Stand works, do you?" Shinnosuke coughed, slowly picking himself up as the white glow on the floor intensified around Akiko. "I told you… you won't lay a finger on anyone else."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Akiko spoke, though her eyes widened as the ground beneath turned into a pair of razor sharp teeth, prompting her Stand to draw out its enormous pair of scissors, which it then pointed towards the air. "What the hell is this?!"

"I don't know where you're going," Shinnosuke mumbled as he turned away from her, his hands soon covering his ears as he cringed, "But I doubt it'll be peaceful."

Shinnosuke shut his eyes for several seconds before turning around, his hands slowly coming down from his face as he looked back towards where she once was, noticing that there was no trace left, or any proof that she was there in the first place.

"I need to sit down," Shinnosuke panted and then gulped, his entire lanky frame shaking as he approached his bedroom, "I need to call Josiah and tell him what happened…"

Shinnosuke opened his bedroom door, but he felt his stomach drop as he heard a set of footsteps approach him from behind when he made it to his bed; he turned around slowly, his eyes widening slowly as a crimson fist ran through his gut.

 _What… I can't open my mouth…_ Shinnosuke thought to himself as he felt his body being pushed onto his bed, blood running out from his gaping wound as he stared at his ceiling. _I have to tell Josiah… I have to tell him so many things…._

He could hear the sound of a car engine enter his drive way as his breathing became shallow, his sight soon darkening as he sighed heavily, the sight of Akiko leaving his eyes as he merely looked up at his ceiling, and only had the strength to do one thing.

Smile.

 **Shinnosuke Fujiwara… has died.**

[Outside of his house…]

"Shinnosuke?!" Josiah blurted out when he saw that his door had been knocked off of its hinges, his body forcing itself to sprint into the house, his sky blue eyes analyzing the door that had been severely cracked.

He shouted his name again as he approached his bedroom door, which had been shut; he opened up the door, nearly screaming as he saw the image of Shinnosuke on his bed, his lifeless body surrounded with dried blood.

"Shinnosuke… what happened?" Josiah mumbled, his ears perking up as he heard his friend's voice, though it was not coming from his body; attached to the wall was a black screen, with several lines weaving up and down, which resembled an audio capture. He walked closer to it, attempting to listen to his friend's voice.

"Uh, hey, Josiah. I wasn't really expecting the next time we saw each... the next time we spoke to be like this, but I guess this is better than nothing. I guess by now you'll have figured out what happened to me, and you're probably going to be beating yourself up over how you should have stopped this.

"You do that to yourself a lot, you know?

"But, now that I'm at this final stage, where Sophia was way back then, it doesn't really bother me so much, you know? I gave it my all. I did pretty well holding myself together all this time, and I got to help my friends out. I'm proud of what I've done. And I'm so thankful that you were there with me along the way.

"When I was flagging, or I was unsure of myself, you always took it upon yourself to support me and keep me going. You even went out and bought every volume of my manga, which I couldn't believe! Do you remember that?

"I do, even now.

"So, wherever I'm going, whatever happens to me, and to you, don't let this be a burden for you. Fight to avenge me, to avenge Sophia and all the other people she's hurt over the years, but don't treat this as your failure. You didn't do this. It's not your fault.

"And, if it helps, I'll try to keep in touch. I'm not sure if that's physically possible for me now, but if I can, I'll try to contact my best friend."

Shinnosuke's voice cracked, the man clearly choking up.

"Because that's who you are. You're my best friend, and you were always there for me. So now I want to be there for you. If you're suffering, I want to be able to make it better. If there's a way we can see each other again, I promise I'll find it. But, until then, don't forget about me, okay?"

"Okay…" Josiah sobbed, his body shaking; he barely lashed out when he turned around to see Akiko, who had her arms crossed and a wide grin on her face.

"What, aren't you gonna attack me?" Akiko giggled, her Stand phasing into existence as she cracked her knuckles. "You want revenge, don't you?"

"If I die here, then he'll have died for fucking nothing," Josiah said quietly, his own Stand materializing next to him as he continued to speak, "I'm terrified of what might happen to me, but that's never stopped me before… if anyone should be scared, it's you."

"Huh? Why me?" Akiko asked curiously, biting down on her lower lip in anticipation, her fiery aura growing around her.

"That was my best friend," Josiah spoke loudly this time, his bold voice bouncing off the walls of his friend's home, "You just made the worst mistake of your life, Akiko!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…  
**_ **  
CHARACTER BIO UPDATE  
** Name: Akiko Mikami  
Age: 38  
Stand: The Plot In You  
Stand Statistics  
Power – A  
Speed – A  
Durability – A  
Precision – A  
Range – D  
Development Potential – E

(Thank you to my friend PurpleVision for writing Shinnosuke's final message.)


	33. Cut From Ear to Ear (2)

_**Cut From Ear to Ear (2)**_

April 6th, 6:55 PM.

Shinnosuke's home.

Josiah's sky blue aura surrounded his entire being as Downplay clenched its mechanical fists, his aura practically clashing with Akiko's for a fight over dominance; without warning, Josiah bolted forward and focused his eyes on his friend's assailant.

"ORA!" Downplay cried as it threw a flurry of blows at The Plot In You, which swiftly crossed its arms in front of its face, blocking every single hit that came flying towards it; it soon retaliated by grabbing an incoming fist, its own punch meeting with Downplay's chin, knocking it a few inches backwards.

"Are you trying to hurt me or are you really just a kid trying to play hero?" Akiko teased, quite relieved that her Stand had managed to numb the blows, as her left arm was still healing. "Are you gonna give up or are you going to keep struggling?"

"I can't believe how stupid you are," Josiah chuckled, cracking his knuckles before looking up at Akiko, seemingly unaffected by the blow to the chin, "When does a Joestar quit, you dumbass? What, do you think I'm gonna cry and beg for mercy?"

"You're really starting to piss me off you brat," Akiko's gaze sharpened, her cocky smile now twisting into an irritated frown, "Quit acting all high and mighty, it's not getting you anywhere. You're just hiding the fact that you're falling apart because I killed your precious friend! But that's all you care about, right? You're only after me because I made it personal!"

"Shut your damn mouth!" Josiah shouted, the woman in front of him tensing slightly as he did so; he sighed, his enormous sky blue aura still remaining strong. "I'm a brat, huh? The only one here acting like a kid is you… you don't give a shit about what happens to anyone but yourself, and you do this kind of bullshit for fun! When someone catches you and calls you out you act like a spoiled brat!"

"You better stop talking before I-"

"SHUT UP! I'm not done!" Josiah nearly screamed this time around, his Stand's fist running through a nearby wall. "I'm only after you because you made it personal? What a bunch of crap… even if you didn't kill Sophia, I was going to hunt you down anyway. You've only made it harder on yourself! I might be breaking apart inside, but for the sake of my friends, I WON'T GIVE UP!"

Josiah rushed forward much to Akiko's surprise, Downplay's fist soon meeting with The Plot In You's gut, the force of it pushing her into the hallway, though she remained on her feet; she darted out of the hallway, moving behind a wall as the Joestar followed, though he was moving rather slowly.

 _Shit. I wasn't in my world long enough for my arm to be completely healed… I hate to admit it, but this damn kid might be a threat. Maybe if I taunt him a little more, I can get him to lock up…_ Akiko thought to herself as she waited for Josiah to strike.

"Sophia? I don't know if this was her, but she had such an annoying Stand! The little shit got in my way so I put her down!" Akiko attempted to taunt him, her heart nearly skipping a beat as a chunk of the wall she was against suddenly broke apart.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't talk about her like that!" Josiah yelled, his body trembling with anger as it came into view, his eyes darting around before managing to get a look at the hiding Akiko.

Downplay rushed towards Akiko, though the latter's Stand made sure to greet it; the force of their Stands' blows nearly put the two of them on their knees, their bodies trembling as their hard fists collided again and again.

"Too slow!" Akiko screamed as her Stand nimbly dodged an incoming punch, its own meeting with Downplay's chest; Josiah cringed, but he managed to retaliate as his Stand buried its fist deep into The Plot In You's gut.

"I don't need you to tell me what you did to her," Josiah said as he pulled Downplay's fist out of the crimson Stand's gut, "I already have a damn good idea… you're only making this harder on yourself!"

"Oh, am I? I can barely feel your punches!" Akiko boasted before moving her neck to the left and the right, an audible crack emitting from it each time. "What a shitty Stand, really… all it knows is brute force. Do you really think you could beat me with that, especially when you're trying to keep your distance? It's easy to tell that you don't have a very wide range."

"It's because I have one of your abilities figured out," Josiah smirked, one of his hands running onto his aching chest, "You have to focus to warp my reality, right? Then I'll just keep fighting until I can't move any more!"

"What a stubborn brat," Akiko cracked her knuckles, her fiery orange aura dancing around her, "I guess I have to break every damn bone in your body then, Joestar!"

Josiah cringed as The Plot In You rushed forward, its fleshy fists pounding against Downplay's front body rapidly, forcing Josiah to cough violently as intense pain racked his body, feeling as if his bones were going to crack apart at any moment.

"ORA!" Downplay screamed and tossed a punch at The Plot In You, only for the slender Stand to catch its fist and toss it at the floor; before Downplay could pick itself back up, Akiko's Stand placed its foot on the middle of its back firmly.

"Shit!" Josiah could feel a hot lump move up into his throat as he attempted to move, but that endeavor proved to be fruitless; it was as if the force coming from Akiko's Stand was so great, it felt as if it had paralyzed him from the neck down.

"You made a noble effort, but it really didn't matter, did it?" Akiko spoke rather smoothly, soon bending down in front of Josiah to get a good look at him. "What's wrong, can't move? I guess I overestimated you."

"You're a damn coward…" Josiah managed to choke those words out as he stared up at her, taking a moment to spit on the ground below her. "I can't die like this…"  
"Oh, and by all means, don't let me interrupt your dramatic monologue," Akiko mocked him before she slapped him across his face, leaving a red mark on the left side of it, "I like to watch my prey squirm before I finish it off."

Akiko slapped him a few more times, his face stinging quite a bit though that would prove to be the least of his worries; her Stand reached over to his head while keeping him locked in place, its hand just a few centimeters away.

Josiah's sky blue eyes widened slightly as the image in front of him changed significantly; were these his apartment walls? Was that his kitchen in the corner? He looked to where Akiko should have been, seeing that her face and body was morphing into someone familiar… Sophia?

"NO!" Josiah screamed as Downplay phased into existence, its metallic leg slamming against The Plot In You's which allowed its user to roll away; it took him a few moments to stand up, his eyesight readjusting as he approached Akiko. "You really are hopeless!"

"What the fuck, why didn't it work?!" Akiko could feel her body shake, though she was not sure if it was in fear, or in anticipation for what was coming next; Josiah darted forward, his Stand launching forward as it delivered several punches to the serial killer.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!" Downplay screeched as its fists battered Akiko's slender frame mercilessly, dozens of blows pounding against her flesh to the point where she vomited blood onto the wood tiled floor.

Akiko's body had been propelled forward from the force, her body flying out from the front door; he quickly followed suit, though he had been slowed down by the nagging pain his back. Josiah stared down at her crawling body, which soon picked itself back up.

"Why didn't it work? How can you resist your reality being torn apart at the seams?!" Akiko demanded to know as she coughed, her hands grabbing at her gut. "TELL ME!"

"You might think that your Stand is almighty, but," Josiah grunted, attempting to set the pain in his back aside for a moment, "It isn't shit… you might be faster, you might be harder to hurt… but I have spirit. The human spirit won't be broken by some damn ability!"

"Just like a kid playing pretend," Akiko backed up towards the driveway, mainly towards Shinnosuke's car; her Stand materialized once again, her hands in her pockets, "Do you really think some shithead like you is gonna beat me?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Josiah rushed towards her, only for The Plot In You to move like lightning, its balled up fist striking the former's face.

"See ya later!" Akiko ripped open Shinnosuke's car door with the help of her Stand, soon revealing a set of keys to Josiah, who had been sent to his knees; without another word she turned the ignition on, the car slowly pulling out from the driveway.

"I can't let this happen!" Josiah immediately darted to his own vehicle, throwing the door open and almost screamed out a 'thank you' to the heavens as he started up the ignition; he looked up and saw that Akiko had begun to drive away, allowing him to promptly follow her.  
As his car sped off close to Akiko, Josiah took his cellphone out from his pocket as he drove almost recklessly; it was fairly difficult to get a good look at his phone as he drove, the vehicle only becoming more and more distant.

[In Irene Joestar's office…]

7:10 PM.

"Hello?" Irene asked as she pressed her cellphone to her ear, nearly jumping out of her skin as her son shouted. "Calm down Josiah, what's going on?"

"It's a long story, but I'll make it quick! I found Akiko at Shinnosuke's house, but he was dead by the time I found him! I'm chasing after her right now!"

"WHAT?! What direction is she heading in?!"

"I think north? Where do you think she would go?"

"North… then there's only one possibility!" Irene quickly walked towards her office door, sweat dripping down her face. "Josiah, do you know where the Kaito Estate is?!"

"Yeah, I do! Why would she be heading there?!"

"She was married to the long dead Norisuke Kaito before murdering him! He was known for helping out with various charities, though nobody ever knew how he obtained so much money! That's the only place that she would be confident hiding in!"

"Okay, I'll head there! Call the others while you're at it, see you there!"

"Right!" Irene replied before ending the call, quickly dashing towards Jothan Joestar's office. "DAD, HURRY!"

[Elsewhere…]

It had only taken a minimum of ten minutes for Josiah Joestar's seven friends to obtain the news, each of them deploying from their homes and towards the Kaito Estate, which had apparently not been touched in many years.

Jin had been driving by herself, her vision dead set on the road as she nearly broke the speed limit; even in this intensity, she could not afford to be slowed down by anything that would pose as a road block.

"Damn it, I can't imagine what she put Josiah through!" Jin practically yelled inside her car as she rocketed down the road. "He managed to live and track her down, though! For whatever reason, she didn't feel confident in using her portal to run away… it's that and the fact that she didn't do him in with her power to warp reality! Even though she killed Shinnosuke, he managed to keep his cool… I'll have to do the same for him!"

[With Dororesu…]  
"Do you think Josiah is okay?" Taiga asked, eagerly waiting to arrive at the Kaito Estate as Dororesu drove like a madwoman down the streets of Osaka, somehow managing to avoid every vehicle that she came across.

"He managed to get all that info to us, and he's chasing her! There's no way in hell he isn't okay!" Warut assured her as they hit a speed bump, the top of his head banging the roof of the vehicle, causing him to cringe. "Shit!"

"Sit still, this is going to get really bumpy once I start going even faster," Dororesu warned the two passengers as she continued to drive straight, "All I know is that we'll have her cornered, and there's no plan!"

"So, we're just rushing in? Are we all gonna meet outside and discuss what we're gonna do before going into the estate?" Taiga questioned, raising an eyebrow as she stared out the window.

"I don't know, we'll find out when we get there!" Dororesu answered honestly, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel as the car sped forward, easily going over the speed limit.

[With Clark…]

"The Kaito Estate? That's kind of obvious… this might be a trap," Clark murmured to himself as he turned left, sweat dripping down his flushed face, "And Shinnosuke is dead… damn it, she has to pay for this!"

Clark could feel his heart drop deeper into his chest with every single minute that passed, his faded violet eyes nearly burning as he kept them wide and at attention; he made yet another turn, feeling as if his body was going numb.

"Norisuke Kaito, used to be married to Akiko Mikami before she murdered him… why would she go to the Kaito Estate of all places? That's a little obvious, so this might be a trap," Clark continued to talk to himself as he drove forward, his head nearly overflowing with theories and thoughts, "She's probably expecting us, if she's really as smart as she seems…"

[With Josiah Joestar…]

"Sir, you're going over the speed limit," the officer told Josiah, who had been sweating profusely and panting heavily, "I tried to pull you over for quite a while… you're aware that there is a fine for this, correct?"

"Look, I'm in a hurry, I'm sorry," Josiah spoke hurriedly as he took his leather wallet out of his pocket, opening it up a moment after, "What do I have to pay you?"

"I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the vehicle-"

"Look, I'll stop whenever I'm done, I just… I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Josiah shouted before thrusting his wallet into the officer's hands, his foot immediately slamming down onto the pedal, his car speeding off before the police officer could stop him.

"Jesus… what's wrong with him?"  
Josiah felt as if his senses were burning into him, his entire body somehow focused yet feeling as if it could slip at any moment. He could not see Akiko any more, but he did know where he was headed, which was good enough for him.

"I know he's gonna call backup, but I'll do whatever it takes to catch her," Josiah spoke to no one but himself, his heart thumping wildly, "I won't give up now!"

[With Akiko Mikami…]

Akiko Mikami had parked in front of a massive mansion that appeared to be two stories high, and it extended to both the left and right for a long way; she slipped out from the car and ran towards the front door.

"I'll just have to hide in here," Akiko whispered to herself as she opened the door, stepping in to see that the only light inside was the sun shining in, but that too was dissipating, "I don't have a choice… he could still be chasing me."

Akiko walked through the family room and to the massive dining hall, her eyes shifting to the left as a pair of emerald eyes popped out of the wall, though she only smirked; she stepped towards the velvet red wall, her hand extended.

"Norisuke, some pests are going to be coming real soon," Akiko spoke towards the set of eyeballs, which then moved upward, "Do you think you could take care of them?"

"Of course," A man's voice, almost as smooth as honey, spoke into the darkness and with it soon came a shadowed figure, "I'll do what I can to keep them away, love. Should I kill them right away or have them squirm like insects?"

Norisuke had to be at least six feet tall, his nearly transparent body resembling a black suit with several white lines running through it, his dress pants matching with his shirt and his black leather shoes.

"Whatever you see fit darling," Akiko chuckled as she walked to the end of the dining room, her hand extending towards a doorknob, "If you fail, I won't forgive you. Clear?"

"Crystal," Norisuke bowed before disappearing into the shadows once more, "My Stand, Vermillion, will make sure that they suffer for causing you any trouble."

"Good," Akiko walked into the hallway, her eyes examining what they could as she met with the staircase, "Damn Joestar brat actually hit me really hard… if he's really coming here, I need to heal myself… goddamn it, I feel like I lost."

[Outside the Kaito Estate, minutes later…]

Everyone except for Josiah Joestar had arrived, and all of them had been standing outside of the estate, dark clouds soon gathering overhead as they stood in silence, realizing that Josiah had not arrived just yet.

"I don't know what trouble he got into, but we have to go in without him," Irene spoke rather lowly, though she continued, "I have no idea what's on the inside, and there is no way in hell we can bait her… we'll have to split into two groups and investigate the house, regardless of any traps she might have planted."

"I hate to say that you're right, because we need a plan," Clark said rather grimly as he pulled his bulldog revolver out from his pocket, "But we have no choice. What kind of teams should we split up into?"

"Irene, Jin and I will explore the west side and the middle of the house," Jothan instructed, "Clark, you and the others will explore the east side. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, let's go," Warut said almost dismissively as he walked towards the house, his Stand soon wrapping around his body, "I'll make sure I get a good hit in for Shinnosuke…"

Everyone walked towards the marble mansion with determination and caution in their hearts, though Irene Joestar stood back for a second as she sighed.

"Josiah… son, where are you?"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Norisuke Kaito  
Age: ?  
Stand – Vermillion  
Stand Statistics  
Power – E  
Speed – B  
Range – B  
Durability – A  
Precision – E  
Development Potential – E


	34. Villain To The Victim

_**Villain To The Victim**_

April 6th, 8:00 PM.

Northern Osaka, The Kaito Estate.

Akiko Mikami could hear the sound of car doors slamming outside her home, her entire body shivering in anticipation as she put her back against the wall as she stared outside the window of her former bedroom, which was now covered in dust; the sun was now setting, and soon the entire mansion would be painted in darkness.

In the back of Akiko Mikami's head was a nagging feeling, though she was unsure of how to express it without drawing attention to herself. She could feel an unfamiliar lump form in her throat as her head whirled with dozens of thoughts, this situation feeling all too similar to something she could not put her finger on.

Her body experienced what felt like an electrical jolt for a few moments, her innards curling in response to the foreign feeling. Just what the hell was this? If anything, she would just scream her lungs out in response, but this time around she was completely silent.

Akiko fell to her knees suddenly, her hands running against the smooth yet dusty floor as she panted heavily, her face hidden by the darkness. She knew very well that she should be focusing on the incoming threat, but something else had been nagging at her.

"Get out of my head, please," Akiko begged quietly, as if she did not believe that she was entirely alone at the moment, "I have control over him, get out of my fucking head…"

Was she really just an embodiment of an urban legend or was she flesh and bone, just a human being who only made wrong turns her entire life? Kuchisake-onna. Malicious spirit. Monster. She never intended any of this, but she somehow took joy in her sick deeds. Who would think she is beautiful now?

That question haunted ever since her murders began, which was a long nineteen years ago… and since then, she asked the same questions to her dozens of victims, which consisted mostly of children who had lives ahead of them. Am I pretty? How about now? Maybe it was fair that people labeled her as someone that was born from a horror story.

Anyone who had faced her always met the same fate, at least the majority did. Ask if she's pretty, it doesn't matter, she'll cut you from ear to ear. Again and again and again and again. It did not help that people tried to buy their life from her, which made it somewhat harder for her to go through with it… and yet, whenever she carved a smile onto their face, she would laugh and revel in her work.

The way she trapped children, and how she made sure they did not cry for help was something that only her and a few Stand users knew about. It could be guessed that she warped reality for that child and pretended to be their mother, making it a bit easier to murder them.

The smile carved into her face no longer stung, but sometimes she wished it did – it was the only thing that let her know she was alive, and now she was completely numb aside from the constant madness stirring inside of her brain.

Her mind took her back to when and where it all began.

[Nineteen years ago…]

November 8th, 2014. 3:00 PM.

Osaka, Japan.

Akiko Mikami only wanted to be a businesswoman. She wanted to lead a normal life, but it all took a big turn when she married Norisuke Kaito, who many people proclaimed the most generous man in Japan. Her expectations of a modest home were met with a gorgeous mansion filled with maids and servants to cater to her every whim each and every day; it made her feel like a queen. That put a little bit of pressure on her – she swore she wasn't actually above anyone else! And yet, the whole world put her to the same expectations of her husband.

Ever since the day that they had been wed, Akiko Mikami had only been called Miss Kaito out of respect and sometimes irrational fear, as if she had connections that would send them to prison if she noticed the smallest of slip-ups. Thankfully, this was not the truth, Akiko was one of the sweetest people for miles, her own generosity just as revered as her lover's.

Akiko had been married to Norisuke for half a year before she was suddenly plagued with vivid nightmares, most of them having horrific details of abuse that she would only dare to divulge to her husband; because of this, he had insisted that she was merely expecting them after the first time, and it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. He had attempted to convince her of this several times, but she stubbornly went to see a doctor.

Doctor Nobuyuki's Office.

"Nightmares? What do they entail and how often do you experience them, Miss Kaito?" Nobuyuki asked, his hazel eyes looking at her expectantly as he pressed his ink pen against his clipboard which held a piece of lined paper. "You may hesitate to tell me, so allow me to remind you that everything we speak of in this room is completely confidential."

"Uh," Akiko stammered, her body feeling strangely hot as she attempted to speak, "S-sorry, this is just a little… uh, well, give me a moment…"

"You don't need to feel ashamed, whatever it may be," Nobuyuki said matter-of-factly, giving her an understanding smile to try and put her at ease, "Take your time, Miss Kaito, I'm a patient man."

"Thank you," Akiko took a deep breath and exhaled soon after, her hands resting on her legs as she attempted to speak once more, "The nightmares… I always dream about someone touching me and I can't even lift a finger, and I can't even scream out for help. It feels so real, and the man's touch always feels so cold… the way he touches me makes me want to vomit and it makes me feel ashamed of myself. These are just dreams, right?"

"Of course," Nobuyuki nodded and then set his clipboard to the side after writing something down in a rush, "I think you'll be just fine. But to truly put you at ease I'm going to do a few blood tests, are you fine with this?"

"Yes, please," Akiko agreed after sighing with some sense of relief, wholeheartedly believing her doctor's words, "Thank you so much, Doctor Nobuyuki. I don't mean to be so anxious."

"Oh there's no need to thank me, Miss Kaito! It's my pleasure to help out my patients, so please don't apologize," Nobuyuki gave her a reassuring nod before opening up one of the drawers behind him, soon pulling out a rather sharp needle, "Alright, this will sting just for a moment…"

[A few days pass…]

November 11th, 9:30 AM.

The Kaito Estate.

"When do you go back to work, sweetheart?" Norisuke asked before tearing a piece of sausage off with his knife, soon sliding it into his mouth. "Are you still on leave due to sickness?"

"I won't be going back until next week," Akiko informed him, ignoring the plates clanging behind her as maids and servants made their way inside and outside of the dining room, "Nobuyuki is going to get my results back to me soon, so I'll be able to go back when I'm sure that it's just a recurring nightmare."

"I'm telling you, it's self-fulfilling prophecy," Norisuke replied after swallowing, placing the fork and knife next to his now empty plate, "But if it helps you sleep at night, feel free to try any medicine that could help you out. I just want you to feel fine again."

Before Akiko could respond to Norisuke, the cellphone in her pocket rang loudly which prompted her to answer it and press it against her ear. Norisuke tilted his head curiously, wondering who would call so early in the morning.

"Hello, sorry to call so early in the morning," Nobuyuki said in a rushed tone, which confused Akiko slightly, "But could you head over to my office right away? It's very important that you get here as soon as possible, Miss Kaito!"

"Huh? What is this about?" Akiko asked, her heart thumping in her chest wildly as he spoke to her so worriedly. "Nobuyuki?"

"It's easier if I tell you in person," Nobuyuki said, "It's something I did not see coming up in your tests, and it's potentially… just, please, get here quickly!"

"Okay!" Akiko ended the call and slipped her cellphone into her pocket, her feet carrying her over to her husband quickly. "I'm sorry, but I need to leave right away! I'll be back home in an hour or two, I promise!"

"Stay safe!"

[At Nobuyuki's Office…]

Akiko had one leg crossed over the other, her hands rubbing against her knees as she waited for Nobuyuki to make his way into the room. This anxious feeling made her feel like she was going to vomit, and it did not even dissipate when the doctor came rushing into the room.

"I'm sorry it took so long, it's been a busy day," Nobuyuki apologized, his face completely flushed and his shirt covered in sweat, "But, your tests came in."

"Yes?" Akiko muttered, her voice as quiet and helpless as a baby kitten's cry as she attempted to look up at him, admittedly expecting the worst.

"Miss Kaito, it appears you've either voluntarily or involuntarily ingest high doses of a drug called ketamine," Nobuyuki spoke calmly, seeing his patient's face turn as white as a ghost, "Did you know of this beforehand?"

"W-what?! No!" Akiko screamed, her eyes widening as she stood up, panting heavily as she put her back against the wall. "How is that possible?! I've never done that on purpose!"

"Calm down, I believe you," Nobuyuki assured her, attempting to keep her level-headed so she would not lash out, "I propose an idea. Have you had a drink today?"

"N-no, why does that matter?" Akiko asked, her entire slender frame nearly going numb from the shock of this revelation.

"Please refrain from drinking anything for the rest of the day, no matter how parched you may become," Nobuyuki advised, "Are we clear, Miss Kaito?"

"Crystal clear," Akiko nodded slowly, her muscles tensing as she turned away from him, "I'll… I'll be okay, right?"

"Yes, you'll be just fine," Nobuyuki stated with a reassuring smile, despite the fact that she could not see it, "Just do this and we may be able to pinpoint just who is doing this to you."

"R-right," Akiko murmured before opening the office door, "I'm going to go home and lay down… I'll let you know what happens."

"Hang in there, Miss Kaito. I believe in you."

"Thank you."

[Later that night…]

The Kaito Estate, 10:15 PM.

Akiko set her pair of scissors on her nightstand, the feeling of suspicion washing over her. Could he have really done it, her dear Norisuke? She never associated with anyone else aside from him, and she talked to him every single day for hours on end; she also knew that for a fact, that he was the one who prepared the drinks every meal.

 _But… could it really be him? Am I just over thinking things and Nobuyuki is wrong? Maybe there was some kind of error in the test…_ _but if that was the case, I wouldn't have brought my pair of scissors I use as a weapon. They're a tool for creating, they are not something someone should use to feel safe at night…_ Akiko thought to herself as she pulled the covers over her shaking frame, her husband still not in bed or even in the room.

As she turned on her side and shut her eyes, she awaited his arrival as she shook, her fear and suspicion keeping her wide awake. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours as she waited for him, knowing full well she would be unable to sleep until she knew for sure it was him.

Her heart nearly froze in her chest once the door creaked open rather slowly, light footsteps moving across the room and to the queen sized bed though something felt incredibly off; when he arrived at the bed, he did not crawl beside his beloved wife.

With a low hum, he moved to his wife's side of his bed, the latter only being able to hear his footsteps since her eyes were shut tightly. With no warning, she felt the warm blanket that acted as a shield disappear as he peeled it away; just moments later she could feel his cold fingertips on her arms, his hands moving lower, though she would not know it until he prodded her.

Before another move could be made, Akiko grabbed her pair of scissors and leaped forward, lodging the sharp tool into his chest; now that her eyes were open, she saw that it was indeed her husband as she sat on his chest, her hand burrowing the scissors deeper inside of him.

"He was right… he was right?!" Akiko's lower lip quivered as she felt something inside of her head snap, her teeth clenching as she screamed, her free hand now wrapping around his throat.

"I knew it was a mistake to let you see that fucking doctor," Norisuke groaned, blood soon seeping out from his mouth as he spoke, "Goddamn it… I thought you would act on a suspicion, but you're smarter than you look, huh, Akiko?"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Akiko screamed yet again, her fingers slowly crushing his fragile windpipe as she removed the pair of scissors from his chest before stabbing him again. "Monster… demon! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! I ONLY EVER LOVED YOU!"

It would seem that Akiko would not receive an answer from Norisuke, as his body fell limp as she squeezed his throat and blood poured out from his chest wound; she soon stopped mangling his body, panting heavily as an orange aura surrounded her.

"Am I dying? I want to die… I want to die!" Akiko sobbed grossly as she remained on top of her now deceased husband's body, her teary eyes seeing what seemed to be a crimson, fleshy fist just a few inches away. "Is this real? Am I going to hell?"

She could hear many footsteps run throughout the marble mansion, her eyes red and her body shaking from the crime she had just committed without hesitation; she soon removed the pair of scissors again, raising them towards her mouth.

"Someone help… please help… I can't take this!"

[Back in the present day…]  
Akiko Mikami rose from her knees and onto her feet, her hand running down her chest and let it eventually rest on her heart. She could remember everything so vividly, especially now. What changed in her? She knew that there was no going back, and was it really even a lie if she kept telling herself she was going to change?

Nineteen years of killing had contorted her once pure mind, which had become fragile and infected with greed. Maybe it was envy that drove her to kill others, as she knew that everyone else on this planet could live up to their full potential, but she had thrown it all away to do away with the one that had defiled her.

They were coming closer to the mansion and she knew that there was no running away this time. Even if she had planned to escape into her pocket dimension, she would not be able to stay very long if they took their time with Norisuke; strangely enough, she felt confident in herself as the pain in her arm finally subsided.

Akiko Mikami did not have a choice but to fight, as these people would chase her down to the darkest pits of hell, and follow her until the end of time until she had answered for her crimes. Either she was going to be the one that died, or this mansion would be littered with their lifeless bodies for the rest of eternity.

Should she roam the mansion and find them before they found someplace that could prove to be advantageous for them? Or should she wait for them, as she knew this entire mansion like the back of her hand, and there was no way in hell they would be able to use her home against her.

Had Josiah Joestar arrived? She figured that he surely knew of her past since he had seemed so obsessed with her, and this would be the most obvious place to look; she would never admit it, but she had no where else to run.

"How many friends did he have? I killed that Sophia girl, and then Shinnosuke because I thought he would be troublesome… there's Clark Kubrick, that guy with the messed up face, the little brat that had the nerve to scream at me… and the other two that fought Damon. There's also Josiah… then there's six of them? I'll keep that in mind, but I shouldn't take the old guys too lightly. Clark's Stand can fire at me from a fair range, and the guy with the leather jacket used some weird power against Damon that I didn't recognize," Akiko whispered to herself, attempting to get a good idea of what to watch out for and how she could exploit them, "This is a war, and I'll be damned if I let a few kids ruin my fucking fun."

As she finished speaking, she could hear the front doors fly open as several footsteps moved across the marble tiled floor; she licked her lips and pressed her back against the wall, giggling to herself as her Stand materialized.

"This is it, kiddies…"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Leopold Gilbert  
Age: 22  
Stand – Novocaine  
Stand Statistics  
Power – E → A  
Speed – C → E  
Range – C  
Precision – A  
Durability – B  
Development Potential – E

(Realized I've never shared his Stand bio.)


	35. I Have Risked Life And Limb

_**I Have Risked Life And Limb**_

April 6th, 8:05 PM.

Northern Osaka, The Kaito Estate.

Jin Kovich followed closely behind Irene and Jothan Joestar as they traversed the west side of the enormous and illustrious marble mansion, the strangely cold air clinging to her skin as her seafoam green attempted to survey the area to the best of their ability.

The sun was almost completely gone and soon they would be left in the pitch black darkness, searching for Akiko Mikami blindly; at least, that was Jin's fear. Akiko must have had a pretty good idea on how the mansion was laid out, so she could probably strike them from any angle.

"What will we do when the sun sets?" Jin asked absentmindedly, immediately wondering if she was supposed to speak as they searched through the house. She figured it was fine as she was not told otherwise, but maybe it was something she was meant to assume before they even entered.

"I have a few candles," Irene responded without turning around, her muscles tensing up and dripping with sweat as they walked further down the hallway, "I think there's a room up ahead. Should we take a risk and check it out?"

"Not like we have a choice." Jothan said as he walked slightly faster, his hand reaching out to the doorknob. He opened the door and stepped inside, quietly analyzing the room. "This room is pretty big…"

Big was an understatement. The dining room had a fairly long table stretching across it, the walls wide and spread several feet apart; there were two glass windows at the top of the left wall which allowed the evening sunlight to break through, and to the bottom left seemed to be an open door.

"That probably leads to the kitchen, right?" Jin guessed, feeling as if she was frozen in place when she walked past Jothan, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Was there a trap in this room, or was she just over thinking things yet again? Maybe their enemy did not have enough time to lay down traps, and they were simply worried over nothing.

"It seems like this dining room is completely empty," Irene muttered before turning to her father, who had been clenching his fists rather tightly, "Dad, are you okay? You can't let this mansion get to you-"

"That's not it," Jothan wiped sweat from his brow, his eyes darting in several directions as his ears perked slightly, "Can't you hear that? Something is scratching the walls, but the weird thing is that there are footsteps coming from that doorway…"

"You're very precise, Mister Joestar," a honeyed, slightly familiar voice spoke out into the dining room, a masculine shadow jutting out from the doorway, "How fortunate that you ran into me first. I can dispose of you so you will not cause my love any trouble."

"That voice, I swear I've heard it before…" Jothan whispered to himself, his pitch black Stand materializing next to him as his golden aura engulfed his body. "Get the hell out of there, I want to know who I'm gonna beat the shit out of."

"You? Beat the shit out of me? Well, aren't you a card!" The man chuckled lowly before his shadow suddenly slipped away, the footsteps Jothan heard just moments before completely disappearing, causing the older man to stay put.

"Akiko has someone working for her? Who in their right mind would do that?!" Jin questioned, expecting an answer from the mysterious man though she received none. "Jothan, do you know anyone that would help her out?"

"Hell no," Jothan replied with a low growl, his fists shaking as he waited impatiently, "I'm pissed off just thinking about that. How could someone work for her? This makes no sense!"

"Yeah, I'm definitely not going to forgive whoever this might be," Irene nodded in agreement as Stone Free materialized, "He's either stupidly cocky or he's really strong if he isn't shaking in his boots. He even knows that we're Joestars, so this means that he knows of us."

"Who hasn't heard of the infamous Jothan Joestar, the one who saved hundreds of people from a strange disease that was spreading throughout the United States? And then there's Irene Joestar, who works for the ever present Speedwagon Foundation! I hate to say this though, I don't think I know who the young woman is?" His voice seemed to come from the ceiling now, which had the three Stand users quite confused.

"Huh? You stopped a disease?" Jin asked curiously, though she soon looked up at the ceiling and nearly screamed at the sight; a man was dangling from it, his emerald eyes staring directly down at the trio, his face cleanly shaven. "What the hell?!"

"How rude, you don't curse at someone you just met," He slipped out of the ceiling and onto the floor, landing perfectly on his feet, "I sound familiar, huh? How do I look then, Jothan Joestar?"

"You're… Norisuke Kaito! Didn't Akiko murder you?!" Irene demanded an answer, her slim frame shaking as she stared at the man who should have been long dead.

"Yes, she did kill me," Norisuke started, walking backwards for a few moments to create a gap in-between him and his enemies, "I don't know why this happened, but soon after I died, I had awoken as a spirit who cannot pass on. Maybe it was because of the fear I experienced when my love stabbed me to death, I don't know; I do know that my Stand awakened, and all I could do was pledge allegiance to her. I did her wrong, so now I must protect her from people like you!"

"P-people like us, huh?!" Jin interrupted Jothan as he opened his mouth, though he looked at her in complete surprise as she began to speak. "People like us are trying to stop her from killing anyone else! What you want doesn't make any sense, why would you protect her, knowing what she did to you and what she's done to others?!"

"So I can find atonement for what I did to her," Norisuke said solemnly, clasping his hands together as his breath shook slightly, "After all the abuse I put that poor woman through, I must do what it takes so she can forgive me."

"Jin, you'll get nowhere with someone like him," Jothan said and slipped his hands into his jacket pockets, "So, I take it you've guessed what went on back then? That disease was the work of a Stand, so I did what was natural and beat the shit out of the user. Do you really think you can beat me?"

"I will be honest, it is rather impressive that you managed to stop such an abomination," Norisuke complimented, "That Stand ate everything it touched, but this is different. My Stand does not rely on the physical well-being of my opponents, rather, the well-being of their hearts; so, do you think you can really 'kick my ass' as you put it, Joestar?"

"I might be an old bastard, but I got a few tricks up my sleeve," Jothan gave the apparition a sly grin before sliding his hands out from his leather jacket, bright sparks flickering around them as he breathed steadily, "I bet you don't know about hamon."

Without hesitation, Hey Jude suddenly raised its fists as a golden spark erupted around them, which confused Jin and Norisuke; Hey Jude bolted forward and threw a punch at Norisuke, a bright spark emitting from the fist once it made contact, the blow forcing the ghostly man onto his back.

"I didn't even attack you, so could you at least act like a gentleman before I kill you?" Norisuke groaned as he picked himself up, a figure slowly materializing next to him. It took the appearance of a six foot tall man who had an entirely featureless face, its body a light grey color. It wore a brown leather jacket as well as a trilby, its bottom half wearing what seemed to be dress pants, though it had been hard to tell due to its appearance. "This is my Stand, Vermillion! How do you think you can beat a Stand that can't be killed?"

 _Norisuke isn't even worried about what Jothan just did… did he just infuse something with his Stand? I could barely see, it moved so fast!_ Jin thought, her Stand phasing into existence as she prepared for battle, her heart thumping hard in her chest.

Norisuke snickered before sliding into the floor, which resulted in the three attempting to look around for him; without warning, he slid out of the floor and jumped out at Jothan, one of his Stand's fingers suddenly touching the right side of his chest.

"I win!" Norisuke cheered as he dove back into the floor with Vermillion, his body reappearing at the end of the hallway. "You couldn't even see me coming, Joestar! Did you not expect that?"

"He can slide through the floor at will," Jothan groaned, moving a part of his leather jacket to the side as he felt a stinging pain through his chest, "What the hell did he do?"

When Jothan got a good look at it, he gasped and fell to his knees; on his chest had been a light grey circle that had been rippling throughout his chest. He panted heavily and glared at Norisuke, attempting to get back onto his feet, but his effort proved to be worthless.

"I lied a little about it not being physical, it's going to sting a little," Norisuke chuckled, crossing his arms as he stared over at Jothan, "My Stand can bring out the most painful memories inside of someone's heart to the point where it physically hurts them. So, Jothan, can you remember the pain of watching all those people rot away? The suffering of the people you couldn't save?"

"Goddamn bastard…" Jothan cringed as his body fell flat onto the marble tiled floor, his face drenched in sweat as heavy breaths exited his now unconscious body.

"How did he move that fast? We couldn't see him, and he was somehow able to predict how Jothan would move! He managed to find the perfect opening to strike!" Jin told Irene, becoming increasingly worried as the woman stared over at her father's body.

"Oh, you managed to figure that out when the experienced old man couldn't? You're more than meets the eye!" Norisuke bowed to her before looking over to Irene Joestar, her eyes wide with surprise. "So, I take it you'll be next? You look pretty angry with me, Miss Joestar!"

"I have to keep calm, that's what dad would want!" Irene glowered towards Norisuke, the latter raising an eyebrow as the woman walked towards him, her Stand cracking its knuckles as she did so. "Ghost or not, I'll make sure you can't move after I'm done with you!"

"How fearsome. Do you plan on beating me with brute strength?" Norisuke asked as Irene came to a stop, one of her hands moving behind her so it could point upward. "Oh, did you figure it out?"

"Huh? What's she pointing at?" Jin murmured before looking towards the part of the ceiling Irene had been pointing out; she took a step back and put a hand on her chest, attempting to make sense of what it was. On the ceiling was an unblinking eye, staring straight at Jin, and just a few feet away had been another one. "He's been watching us from behind, too?! How did he do that without us being able to notice?"

"He must have placed them before we came in," Irene added before placing her hand on her hip, "If this is his ability, he's probably placed them all over the mansion to help his beloved wife gain the advantage over us. Am I right?"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out, but congratulations anyway," Norisuke clapped twice before sighing, his fingers rubbing his chin as he continued to speak, "Do you really think you can out-speed me? You can't even pinpoint my location when I'm moving."

"Try it," Irene said with confidence, her body no longer quivering in fear, "Then we'll see who's the fastest. I'm willing to take that risk."

"What a foolish thing to say!" Norisuke chortled before diving into the floor once again, soon jumping out of it once more as Vermillion's fingertip reached for Irene's heart.

"ORA!" Stone Free shouted menacingly as its fist arced forward, all five of its knuckles _cracking_ against the side of Vermillion's face, though the enemy Stand still extended its fingers and touched Irene's heart before it was knocked back.

"That hurt… that really, really hurt!" Norisuke almost snarled like a wild dog would as he held the left side of his face, not even smirking proudly after managing to touch his opponent's heart. "Damn… I guess you'll get what you deserve now, though!"

"I put everything I had into that punch!" Irene felt her feet slip when she attempted to walk forward, her chin soon becoming intimate with the floor beneath her. "Jin, it's up to you… I know you can do it…"  
"Can I really?" Jin asked herself quietly, her stomach twisting inside of her body as she stared at Norisuke, her seafoam green eyes shaking and her body quivering in fear. "He's a lot more precise… there has to be more of those eyes monitoring my every move!"

"You might be right, you might be wrong," Norisuke said, rubbing his hands together as he walked past Irene, "I don't think you'll get away so easily without the Joestars helping you. You're all by yourself now, sweetheart."

[With the others…]

Clark Kubrick walked beside Warut Mizushima and Dororesu Matsumae as they made their way up a staircase, their ally Taiga following closely behind, and to say that they were on edge would have been an understatement. The silence that seemingly swallowed the entire mansion made them flinch at any sound they heard, whether it was the wind outside or that strange scratching sound, which was most likely mice.

"It's going to rain soon, so the sunlight will be gone," Clark said quietly, his wrinkled fingers moving smoothly against the railing of the staircase, "I'm going to have to ask you to adapt to the darkness when that happens, so don't give our position away."

"I get that," Warut replied just as quietly, his misty Stand still clinging tightly to his fairly muscular frame, "What room are we trying to find first?"

"I think we should be heading for some kind of family room, right? It ought to be spacious, and if she catches us there it would be easy to maneuver around one another." Dororesu suggested as they neared the top of the staircase.

"That's not a bad idea," Clark whispered as he arrived at the top of the staircase, though he moved a few steps forward to see that there was a hallway to the left and another to the right, "Shit… any ideas on where to go next?"

"We should go left," Taiga added as she walked beside Clark, her clothes allowing her to almost completely blend in with the darkness, "That's closer to the middle of the house, which is where that should be. It would be an odd design choice if the family room was placed at the very end of it, y'know?"

"Makes sense to me." Warut agreed with her, which was followed by nods from his daughter and Clark, who then moved to the left, their muscles incredibly tense from the oppressive atmosphere.

"It's like someone put a curse on this damn building," Dororesu sighed uncomfortably, "Do you see anything up ahead, Clark?"

"There's a door, so all of you should stay back until I tell you it's safe," Clark told them before moving ahead rather quickly, his hand twisting the doorknob as soon as he arrived, "Here we go…"

Clark opened the door slowly, his free hand pointing his bulldog revolver into the darkness that was just barely illuminated by the quickly dissipating sunlight; the room was rather large, though it was fairly dusty. It had two sofas on each side as well as a few chairs placed around the area. There was a lamp in the left corner covered in layers of dust. In the back appeared to be a walk-in closet, and to the far right was another door.

Clark motioned for the others to follow as he stepped inside the dimly lit room, and even though there did not seem to be any imminent threat, he kept his bulldog revolver closer and his finger near the trigger.

"This looks like a family room, but I'm not really sure," Warut spoke as he moved carefully throughout the darkness of the room, "There isn't even a television set. Don't you think it's weird if they moved something out like that, but they didn't touch anything else?"

"This could be a guest room, but there's no bed," Dororesu added to the conversation, her hand on her chin, "Either this is to delay us or Norisuke Kaito was just a really strange man…"

"It's probably in the closet." Taiga remarked as she walked over to the walk in closet, her hands pushing the doors open, though she could hear the sound of someone breathing heavily; she slowly turned to look in the corner of the closet, seeing Akiko staring at her with a small smirk. "SHIT!"

Before anyone could rush over to aid her, Akiko lunged at Taiga as her fleshy Stand materialized; the latter attempted to block it, but The Plot In You's fist met with Taiga's normal arm, the impact blowing Taiga several feet away from the walk-in closet, her left arm cracking audibly.

"Damn, got the wrong arm!" Akiko chuckled as she stood up, her arms crossed as she looked at the four Stand users. "Oh, that little girl isn't here? Neither is Josiah, huh? Well, this ought to be easy!"

Dororesu quickly held out her hand as blood slipped out from her finger tips, which soon formed into a machete; she glared at Akiko, attempting to find an opening as Clark pointed his bulldog revolver at the woman.

"You're surrounded, so there's no point in fighting back!" Warut declared as his purple aura surrounded him, his look of pure malice growing as he started to float into the air. "You're going to pay for what you did to Shinnosuke!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm sure I will," Akiko yawned as her own aura came forth, the fiery energy grew so large that it had nearly touched every single Stand user in the room, "So, let's get this over with? I want to see the look on Josiah Joestar's face when you're all mangled!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Altaire Vicente (Before modification)  
Age: 23  
Stand: Pay Money To My Pain  
Stand Statistics  
Power - A  
Speed - A  
Range - E  
Precision - B  
Durability - D  
Development Potential - E


	36. The Apple Doesn't Fall Far

_**The Apple Doesn't Fall Far**_

April 6th, 8:15 PM.

Northern Osaka, The Kaito Estate.

"Taiga, are you okay?!" Dororesu Matsumae asked in a rushed voice, only looking towards her battered and bruised friend for a moment so she could keep an eye on the murderer who had been standing several feet away.

"Goddamn, she hits like a fucking truck," Taiga groaned as she pried herself off the wall, her left arm dangling by her side as she winced in pain, "I think she broke my arm… be careful guys, she's a lot stronger than I expected."

"What a shame, you aren't screaming like I hoped you would!" Akiko Mikami giggled like a little girl, her eyes shifting over to see Warut Mizushima floating a few inches off the floor, his fists clenched tightly. "Hey, you're that shithead that punched me in the face! I'm gonna have to pay you back for that now!"

"I don't think you're gonna lay a hand on any of my damn friends!" Warut growled before flying forward, though he suddenly moved to the right as he attempted to land a hard kick on the side of her head; her Stand suddenly moved forward, grabbing the grown man by his foot.

"Why are you so slow? You were faster than this!" Akiko mocked him as she looked towards his three allies, licking her lips as she got a decent look at Clark, who had been pointing his revolver at her this entire time. "Don't shoot or I'll break his body in half, got it? I mean, that's gonna happen anyway, but I'd prefer to see you struggle while I pick him apart!"

"Ha, pick me apart, huh?" Warut snickered as the mist surrounding his body slowly moved towards Akiko, a small portion of it wrapping around her right arm, which made her look fairly perplexed as this was happening. "Dororesu, now!"

"Got it, dad!" Dororesu dashed towards Akiko with her right hand reaching out for the fog, a slight bright pink aura connecting from her fingertips and towards the mist that had been gathering around her arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" Akiko asked, clearly irritated as she was quickly cut off from speaking, the mist around her arm suddenly forming into dozens of sharp pins, which almost immediately embedded themselves into her flesh. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Akiko dropped Warut as she backed away, the mist soon leaving her arm though the sting of those incredibly sharp pins had remained; she nimbly dodged a thrust from Dororesu's machete, her own Stand launching forward to rip it out of her grip.

"You get away from her!" Clark shouted as he fired towards Akiko who had attempted to toss the blade back at Dororesu, only for the bullet to completely blow it out of her hands and out the window. "Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head, Akiko! I'll shoot!"

"Yeah, whatever," Akiko shrugged and turned away from Clark, biting down hard on her lower lip as she stared at Dororesu, "I'm not too scared of a gun you old bastard, so put down that toy and try to fight me like the man you know you're not."

Clark could feel the venomous sting behind those words, but he merely put it to the side and walked towards Akiko calmly, his Voltaire soon materializing as he glared at the slit-mouthed woman, determination burning inside his veins.

"Clark, what are you doing?! If she broke my arm with one punch, then you might shatter completely if she gets a good hit on you!" Taiga warned him as she tried to drag herself over, only for her to fall on her knees. "It's no use, Clark! Why are you being so fucking stubborn?!"

"I'm not going to wait for death without putting up a damn good fight!" Clark shouted back as he came to a stop, his faded violet eyes staring at Akiko with nothing but disgust, repulsed just from the sight of her.

Before Akiko could muster up a witty response, she had to swiftly raise The Plot In You's arms to block an incoming blow from the muscular Voltaire, which only continued to land dozens of punches on her Stand's fleshy skin.

"Shit!" Akiko grunted as she felt her feet drag behind her, more surprised than embarassed at what was unfolding before her very eyes; she brought her Stand's left leg up to attempt to land a hard blow on Voltaire's chin, though she ended up striking the side of its face.

Clark panted heavily as he backed up, ignoring the bruise on the side of his face while his navy blue aura grew around him, his violet eyes looking at everyone in the room before centering on Akiko again, though he did not dare to give her a cocky smirk in his current situation.

"I told you, Clark! You couldn't even handle being kicked, you're already tired… why won't you just listen to me and sit back while we take care of it?" Taiga suggested as her crimson red aura flowed over her body smoothly, her mechanical arm glowing brightly. "My left arm might be broken, but I can keep fighting."

"I'll die if I have to, so stop talking and start fighting!" Clark snapped at her as Voltaire threw a swift punch towards Akiko's gut, only for her to dodge out of the way; it pulled its fist out of the wall, though as it did so, its five digits on its right hand suddenly opened up. "This isn't the time to argue!"

Voltaire rapidly shoved the pieces of marble into its knuckles before pointing its fingers at Akiko; it took a moment, but soon small chunks of blazing marble whizzed towards her side though her Stand managed to block them effectively, though they appeared to burn her skin which caused her to hiss in retaliation.

"I'm going to make sure I kill you first!" Akiko shrieked as The Plot In You grabbed Clark by his throat, then tossing him through the already shattered window; the shrieking woman followed as her Stand forced Clark into the cold ground, soon letting go as his body shook from the blow.

"Damn it… too fast…" Clark grumbled as he felt a hard kick to the side of his body, prompting him to roll over as pain wracked his frail body; he could barely fight back as he felt Akiko's cold hand grip his short gray hair.

"C'mon!" Warut shouted as he picked up both Taiga and his daughter, Stratovarius clinging tightly to its users large frame as he dived out the broken window and then downward towards Akiko; he dropped them onto the ground as he continued to charge, her fingers pulling at the older man's hair like it was a child's plaything. "YOU LET GO OF HIM!"

"Eh?" Akiko turned to see Warut's clenched fist make direct contact with the side of her face, the sheer speed and force of the punch shoving her off of Clark; Warut moved back towards her and grabbed her by her shirt collar as he flew. "Let go of me, you cocksucker!"

"You asked!" Warut smirked as he tossed the slit-mouthed woman into the dirt, his Stand soon carrying him over to Clark, who had slowly picked himself up, his hand rubbing his throat as he coughed loudly and painfully.

"Thank you, Warut," Clark managed to squeeze those words out of his throat as his hand moved down to his heart, "How badly did you hurt her? Is she unconcious?"

"I doubt she's down and out just yet," Warut responded as he looked back to where he had dropped the woman, seeing that she had slowly but surely picked herself up just as it started to drizzle, "Damn it… she's doing just fine!"

"Dororesu, give me a weapon!" Taiga demanded, though her companion did not argue with her. She extended her arm and formed two machetes out from her blood, handing one over to Taiga who gripped it tightly; as she did this, a red aura surrounded it before a second blade appeared. "Alright, let's kick her ass!"

Taiga darted towards Akiko who had now faced her, her eyes somehow easily adjusting to the outside environment as the smaller woman dashed forward; Taiga tossed one of the sharp machetes towards the serial killer before jumping upward, her metallic hand gripping the blade tightly as she attempted to to embed it into Akiko's skull when she dived towards her.

"You're a persistent little pest, aren't you?" Akiko teased her as The Plot In You grabbed the machete flying towards her, its hand soon clenching into a fist as the blade cracked; it eventually broke into several pieces, allowing her to focus on the incoming attack. "Do I have to break your other arm too?!"

Akiko moved her hand forward to grab Taiga by her throat as she dived downward, only for yet another blade to launch towards her, this one managing to slice through the top of her hand, cutting it effectively and thoroughly.

"You're not going to lay a finger on her!" Dororesu cried as she formed yet another blade from the blood flowing out of her veins, her eyesight becoming slightly blurry as she charged, attempting to cut into Akiko's throat.

"Why do you annoying little shits give a fuck about what I do, really?" Akiko questioned nonchalantly as her Stand simply grabbed the tip of the machete, stopping Dororesu in her tracks. "Little kids like you shouldn't be playing hero, it's gonna get you killed.'

Akiko pulled Dororesu forward and struck her across the face with her own open palm, and then tossed her away as Taiga attempted to land a punch on her right temple; The Plot In You simply dodged to the left, its arms crossed as its user giggled loudly.

"What the hell, she isn't even flinching…" Clark groaned as Warut started to float into the air once more, glowering at Akiko, "What are you doing, Warut? If you get involved, it'll only just make it more confusing for the both of them!"

"It's like you said," Warut started coldly without looking back at the older man, "I'll die if I have to, and if it comes to that, I'll die putting up a fight!"

[With Jin Kovich…]

"So, what are you going to do?" Norisuke questioned the young woman standing several feet away from him, her Stand floating beside her as dozens of thoughts raced inside her mind. "Are you going to rush in like those two and try to beat me into submission, or are you going to think about your first move? How are you going to see me when I run over to dispose of you? I believe that's what you're thinking right now."

"Shut up!" Jin shouted as Erratas suddenly raised its foot and stomped into the marble floor several times, though after doing this it kicked the side of the small crater it had created; the sheer force of the blow moved towards Norisuke, the ground breaking up and ripping apart as it moved.

"Aren't you a little brat? Are you mad because you can't have your way?" Norisuke taunted her as he snickered, though he swiftly shielded his eyes as the area of the ground Jin had attacked was now as bright as a bedroom lamp. "Huh? What did you do?"

"My Stand can change the molecular structure of anything it hits, so I can change any of its properties at will after doing so," Jin smirked, her lime green aura growing around her as she spoke, "Even if it's impossible, Erratas can change the structure in any it wants or I want. So now, you won't be able to catch me by surprise, because the only way you're going to attack me is by going through this light."

"Oh? Then what are you going to do about the eyes that I've placed everywhere? I can still look for a good vantage point!" Norisuke retorted, smiling confidently – though, his smile soon dissipated as Erratas suddenly jumped into the air, its fists battering the open eyes that had been spying on her. "What?! How can it move that far away from you?!"

Norisuke coughed as he covered his now stinging eyes, though he was able to hear Erratas land back onto the marble floor; he panted heavily, his fingers shaking and his body quivering as he heard Jin sigh.

"So, you thought that just because it was physically tough, it didn't have enough range? You sure like to assume," Jin commented, seemingly rather relaxed as she spoke, "Erratas could travel through most of the city before losing any of its power or durability, so don't underestimate it. Aside from that, it just changed the molecular structure of those eyes… you won't be spying on me any time soon."

"If Akiko were here, you wouldn't be so confident," Norisuke growled as he uncovered his now bloodshot eyes, his chest heaving as he watched the young woman slowly walk down the path of light she had created, "Aren't you afraid? If I even touch your heart once, it's over for you!"

"I've fought Akiko, and I'm not scared of her," Jin said as she came to a stop, her seafoam green eyes now cold when she glared at Norisuke, "So why should I be scared of you when all you do is play on someone's insecurities? You're not someone that should be feared, you're someone that should be mocked for being petty and a waste of life. Just like her."

"YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!" Norisuke shrieked like a banshee would, his feet pressing against the marble ground as he lunged towards Jin, who looked rather bored at his sudden outburst.

"FUCKERS LIKE YOU WILL NEVER LEARN!" Jin shouted as Erratas launched itself forward, its fists bombarding Norisuke's body, the latter's hands twitching as he froze from the sheer agony of each blow, the Stand's hard knuckles forcing themselves against his chest.

"Guh!" Norisuke choked as his battered and bruised body landed on the marble floor, his hands shaking as he felt his body soon give in; his eyes widened as he watched his hands slowly turn gray and then fall apart into ash. "What the hell did you do to my body, you wretch?!"

"I can't kill a ghost, but I can turn your body into a pile of ash," Jin answered, crossing her arms as she walked away from him, "Nico warned me about men like you, telling me to be careful… but now I know, there's really nothing to you. Have a nice trip, I just sent you back to hell!"

"Stop! STOP!" Norisuke screamed, though Jin ignored him completely and walked towards Jothan, whose eyes slowly opened as the pleas for mercy suddenly came to a stop, his body now a pile of ash on the floor.

"Good job, Jin," Jothan groaned as he held his aching head, soon standing up to look over at his daughter who was waking up as well, "If it wasn't for you, we would have been done for. We have to get moving, so let's go find the others."

"Right," Irene nodded and walked towards the door, though she stopped to raise her thumb towards the tired Jin, "You did a damn good job, Jin. Let's hurry!"

"Yeah!" Jin replied and rushed out of the door, her aura fading away as she made her away across the hallway, her two elders following close behind her.

[With the others…]

Dororesu flinched, fear nearly taking over her body as she watched Akiko drop Taiga's unconcious body onto the cold ground, the light drizzle soon turning into a downpour; she could barely turn to see her father rise further into the air, though she tried her best to not draw attention to him. Was Clark really still down and out? He must have been more fragile than he looked.

"Scared, little girl? I can't blame you, anyone would be terrified if they were up against someone like me," Akiko licked her lips as she stepped forward, her fiery orange aura growing, "I think I'm going to tear your eyes out first. What do you think? Is that a good starting point?"

"It should start with you getting the hell away from my daughter!" Warut bellowed like a beast would, his muscular frame crashing into Akiko's slender body, her face soon meeting with the wet dirt below her. "Now, Clark!"

"RIGHT!" Clark yelled in response, aiming his gun towards Akiko's slowly moving body, his revolver firing an air bullet towards the cornered woman though it had barely missed, just grazing her cheek.

"I have had enough of you jack-offs!" Akiko growled as she picked herself up off the earth, her Stand materializing as Dororesu and Warut charged at her from opposite sides; being able to see this, The Plot In You landed a solid blow on the latter's chin, easily knocking him out of the air.

Akiko whipped around and had her Stand's crimson fists pound against Dororesu's gut several times, her body soon skidding against the ground, her clothes now stained with dirt and rain; the slit-mouthed woman stepped towards her and sighed.

"Y'know, you probably could have ran away while I beat up on your shitty dad," Akiko commented, sighing deeply as she started to close the distance between them, "I guess you're obedient until the end like a true lap dog, aren't you?"

"You're wrong," Dororesu grumbled, holding her stomach as a cold force ran through her bones, "Why am I gonna bother talking to you? You won't get it! My dad risked his own damn life to save me, you'll never know how much courage and compassion that takes! YOU'RE PATHETIC!"

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH, GIRL!" Akiko darted towards Dororesu with her fist extended, her Stand rocketing forward to attempt to hit her in the gut again; her eyes widened as Warut cut her blow off, taking the mighty punch to his chest.

"GAH!" Warut vomited a concerning amount of wet blood, falling to his knees soon after; but, before he could fall over, Dororesu held his muscular body in her arms. "Are you okay… Dororesu?"

"I'm fine, you should be worried about yourself!" Dororesu argued, clutching her father's shirt as he heaved. "Dad, you're okay, right?"

"I'm fine, I promise," Warut coughed, his shaking hand grabbing onto Dororesu's as he continued to speak to her, "Look… I'm sorry I've been such a shitty dad… I put you through so much pain for so damn long, and I couldn't even do anything about it. So, thanks…"

"Huh? Thanks for what?" Dororesu asked worriedly, a noticeable lump forming in her throat as she gripped her father's shirt even more tightly. "I should be the one thanking you! Dad, are you sure you're okay?!"

"I'm fine, just listen," Warut continued, his vision soon blurring as he panted heavily, each breath becoming heavier, "Dororesu, thanks… thanks for loving me. You're the best daughter that I could ever ask for."

"Dad…?" Dororesu's eyes widened as Warut's body fell unconcious, almost limp. Was he dead? She didn't know, she couldn't tell. The only thing running through her mind was fear, completely frightened at the very notion that her father could have died. "DAD?!"

"How touching," Akiko shrugged without a care in the world, her Stand's fists crunching as they clenched tightly, "Dear old dad went out protecting you, huh? I guess I'll make sure you die with him-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

A familiar voice made everyone within the vicinity turn to look behind them, though it made Akiko nearly quiver in fear; her eyes managed to spot the man she had been waiting for. Josiah Joestar had arrived.

"You put up a damn good fight Warut," Josiah said as his sky blue aura erupted in a silent rage, a deep breath exiting his lungs as he slowly closed the gap between him and Akiko, "But now, everyone stand back. It's my turn."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

 **CHARACTER BIO  
** Name: Hiroshi Osamu  
Age: 75  
Stand: House Of Memories  
Stand Statistics  
Power – E  
Speed – D  
Range – A in the house, none otherwise  
Precision – C  
Durability – C  
Development Potential – E


	37. Death Won't Take Us

_**Death Won't Take Us**_

April 6th, 8:25 PM.

Northern Osaka, The Kaito Estate.

Heavy rain poured across all of Osaka, each drop falling like a stone as Clark nearly shook at the sight of Josiah Joestar, who was strangely calm despite all that had happened; Shinnosuke had been killed, and Warut had been critically injured. Dororesu held her father's unconscious body close as she stared up at Josiah, the iris of his sky blue eyes swirling with a calm rage.

"Oh, so the savior has come to rescue his friends, has he?" Akiko mocked, her attention now entirely centered onto the Joestar. "I was going to try to make sure they were torn apart by the time you got here, but they're a bit more resilient than I initially thought! I might have taken out one, but my work tonight is a little sloppy."

"Quiet," Josiah held his palm in the air, further telling her to stop speaking as his eyes narrowed towards Dororesu, "Hey, does your dad still have a heartbeat? I don't think Warut is so weak that he can't take a punch, so don't lose all hope just yet, okay? The tables have turned… also, I hate to waste time, but where are the others?"

"Huh? Right, sorry," Dororesu could feel the lump in her throat recede slightly as she moved her shaking hand over her father's chest, sighing with relief at the feeling of his heartbeat, "He's fine, thank god. As for the others, they went inside to try and find her. Should I go look for them?"

"No, they'll find us after hearing all of the commotion," Josiah assured her as Downplay phased into existence, his sky blue aura erupting around him, "Everyone, stay out of this. Dororesu, I want you to look after Taiga and your father… and Clark! As for you, don't fire that damn thing near me! I don't wanna get shot in the head!"

 _How is he so calm in a situation like this? I know damn well that Josiah can't possibly be this composed after knowing what she did to Shinnosuke. He must be trying to frighten her with how durable his spirit seems to be…_ Clark thought to himself, holding onto the idea that his comrade was merely trying to throw Akiko off her high horse.

"What, are you already over your friend's death? Can you really call yourself a friend?" Akiko bit down hard on her bottom lip, nearly drawing blood as she did so. "Mm… I bet you're just itching to wrap those hands of yours around my throat."

"Keep running your mouth as much as you want Akiko," Josiah replied dryly, his lips curving into a confident yet relaxed smirk, "But nothing you tell me is going to stop me from ramming my fists into your face."

"Is that supposed to scare me, kid? If I remember correctly, I held you down with one foot just a few hours ago!" Akiko boasted, crossing her arms as her Stand materialized once again, her fiery orange aura returning.

"You're just grasping at straws now, Akiko!" Josiah felt his body shake momentarily though he did his best to ignore it, his sky blue eyes filled with ferocity as he pointed towards his opponent. "You can say whatever you want, it isn't going to change a damn thing."

"Then cut the tough guy act and come at me!" Akiko shrieked as she propelled forward, her Stand throwing both of its fists towards Josiah who quickly had Downplay do the same, their knuckles colliding.

Downplay and The Plot In You barely moved as their knuckles grated against each other, though they pulled away to repeatedly match one another blow for blow, each hit shaking the ground below their users.

"Josiah…" Dororesu murmured as she threw Taiga over her shoulder, her other hand pulling Warut across the wet earth as she moved away from the fierce battle. "There's something different about him, but I can't put my finger on it. It's like he traded all that grief for confidence and he's putting it to use here; he's even matching her with every punch."

Clark only stared in awe as Dororesu finally made it over to him, the latter carefully resting her father and Taiga onto the cold grass, allowing her to look towards Josiah in complete surprise at how capable he seemed. It was clear that this was not the Josiah Joestar she had known before.

"Damn brat!" Akiko nearly bit her tongue as Josiah grabbed her wrist, the man mustering up a massive amount of strength as he threw her behind him, his Stand immediately rushing her and planting several hard punches to her gut, the final blow sending her flying towards the outside wall of the mansion.

Akiko felt the hard marble slam against her spine as Josiah dashed forward, attempting to land yet another blow onto the slender woman though she managed to duck in time as her own Stand's crimson fist met with his chin.

Josiah jumped away before she managed to lay a second hit onto his already sore figure, though his bright sky blue eyes followed her as she attempted to gain some distance from him, sweat drenching her face while she clenched her teeth.

"I'M NOT LETTING YOU GET AWAY AGAIN!" Josiah screamed as he bolted towards Akiko, the woman nearly flinching as he easily caught up to her speed; oddly enough, he remained close behind her before bringing Downplay's fists down onto the middle of her back.

"Fuck!" Akiko felt her slim body propel forward from a third hit, her knees skidding against the dirt as she slowly came to a stop; when it ended, she could barely pick herself up as she panted heavily in exhaustion and pain, a stabbing feeling stuck inside of her chest. "So, you show your true feelings, huh? I knew you couldn't keep that mask on for long, Joestar!"

"That took more out of me than I thought it would," Josiah murmured to himself as he walked forward, his hands almost numb from the cold air clinging to his skin, "It doesn't matter any more, Akiko, does it? You're cornered by Stand users, you're not going anywhere."

"Aren't you daft?" Akiko chuckled as The Plot In You took out its enormous pair of scissors, soon running them down the air as Josiah charged towards the woman upon seeing this. "You won't be catching me this time! See ya later!"  
"I said it once, I'll say it again! You aren't getting away!" Josiah shouted as the portal opened up, the slender woman slipping into it; and yet, somehow, in the moment before it closed the Joestar had managed to jump through.

"JOSIAH!" Clark shouted as he watched Josiah's feet fall through right as the portal closed, leaving the elderly man to stand up and cough yet again. "Damn it… did he really have to go ahead and do that? We can't help him now when he needs it!"

"Calm down Kubrick," Irene's voice entered his ears, prompting him and Dororesu to look towards their three allies, "Whatever you're shouting about, calm down. What the hell is going on here? Where's Akiko?"

"Josiah arrived and he started to fight Akiko, but she ran away through the portal," Clark said, coughing before continuing, "He jumped in after her right before it closed. We couldn't do a damn thing."

"We don't even know how her portal works," Jin said worriedly, her heart thumping faster in her chest as she thought of the possibilities, "Josiah is gonna be okay, right?"

"We better pray that he is, he's the only one that can even face her right now," Jothan added as he moved his hands into his jacket pockets, "We don't have a choice but to wait for them to come out, so we better have fate on our side."

"Fate, huh?" Dororesu mumbled to herself as she looked down at her unconscious father, who was now breathing rather slowly. "Come on, Josiah…"

[With Josiah Joestar…]

Josiah Joestar felt the world around him turn black as he fell through the portal, though he knew for a fact that he had kept his eyes open; he could hear distant screams and barely see indiscernible grey figures that seemed to roam inside the darkness.

How long had he been falling? Time felt like it had come to a sudden halt, and hell, was he even falling at this point? Was this just a dimension of darkness that Akiko Mikami could control and he had no hope of fighting back?

Suddenly, the fear of a dimension darkness dissipated from his mind and his wildly beating heart; without warning, he had been placed on top of a wide field of flowers with several trees running down on each side, though they were hundreds feet away.

Cherry blossom trees swayed in the wind as his eyes attempted to focus in on the perennial plants that had surrounded him among the field of flowers, though he was slightly more surprised when he noticed that the sky above him was a warm pink.

He could hear the sound of water running, but he could not tell exactly where it was coming from. He had soon looked to the south, seeing that there was a small brick house with a well nearby; without any other options, he moved towards it with caution.

Josiah felt like his every move was being monitored as he walked through the disturbingly beautiful field of flowers, as this was beyond what he had expected though he wondered something: Was this somewhere in the real world or was this a pocket dimension created by Akiko? There was only one real way to find out.

He nearly froze in his tracks as he heard the sound of something shattering into pieces, though he could not see any movement through the windows of the brick house. He ran closer, his ears perking up as he heard a familiar voice scream.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! I ONLY EVER LOVED YOU!"

Josiah peeked in through the window to see a normal sized bedroom, the bed being large enough for two people; though, as he scanned and analyzed the bedroom, he heard the sound of something 'whooshing' through the air.

He quickly rolled away, able to see that Akiko had indeed swung at him; she merely smiled at him as he picked himself up, noticing that all of her injuries had completely healed.

"Could have been your head," Akiko said rather lowly before stepping forward, closing the gap slightly before continuing to speak, "You really are a pest, like none I've ever seen. Nobody's ever come in here before, so you're the first! What do you think of my little world?"

"It's not what I expected," Josiah replied, his own Stand phasing into existence as his muscles tensed just at the sight of Akiko, "What the hell was that screaming? Do you trap people here?"

"Do you think I have the patience for torture?" Akiko asked semi-seriously, though she grinned widely which showed her teeth. "Besides kid, what I do here is none of your fucking business. You're coming out of this place in a body bag!"

"I hope you can keep that confidence of yours when I make you give up," Josiah responded, just as cocky as his opponent which had made her sneer, "Only one of us is gonna make it out of here alive, so come at me already!"

"Don't be so quick to accept your fate!" Akiko yelled before rushing forward, her Stand staying close to her as Josiah darted towards the slit-mouthed woman; though he had thrown the first punch, she stepped to the side and allowed The Plot In You to grab Downplay's arm, the former instantly tossing it and its user towards the brick house.

Josiah could feel the bricks slamming against his back fall apart, his body being sent into the now damaged bedroom of the house; the pink sky was now visible from the inside, as he had created a massive hole from the impact.

"I have a question," Akiko said, her once mocking voice now rather solemn, "Why did you do this to yourself? You told your friends to stay out of it but they were so willing to help you. Why do you want to fight me alone? You know who I am, so you're aware that this is a death wish."

"Because I'll be damned if I let you hurt them while I'm still breathing," Josiah grunted, his aching frame shaking as he stood up, his sky blue eyes glaring at Akiko's violet, "I don't care what happens to me, you won't lay a damn finger on them!"  
"How disgustingly noble," Akiko chuckled, running her fingers along the scars on the left side of her face, "You're all alone here, boy! Your friends won't be able to cheer you on or tell you everything is gonna be okay!"

"What a bunch of bullshit!" Josiah blurted loudly, his immense aura returning as he stepped forward despite his aching muscles. "They might not be here but they're cheering me on from the outside! So shut your mouth you petty shithead, they won't abandon me now!"

"I've had enough of this heroic monologue!" Akiko ran forward and threw a punch at Josiah's nose, only for Downplay to intercept with the side of its arm. "Is it really that hard to see that you can't win?!"

"Even if you kill me, I'll keep trying!" Josiah screamed as The Plot In You threw its other fist at Downplay, this blow firmly meeting with the side of its face; without hesitation, Akiko dashed forward and grabbed Josiah's throat with her own hand, soon slamming him into the floor.

Josiah jumped onto his two feet and narrowly dodged an incoming punch, his own soon meeting with Akiko's nose, causing her to gasp in utter shock as blood seeped out from her nostrils though this only made anger well up inside her heart.

"What a damn shame that this is going to be your grave, Akiko," Josiah smirked, his words strangely cocky, "It's really peaceful, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. How unfitting for someone like you!"

Like a hungry and vicious animal, Akiko screamed and lunged towards Josiah Joestar, the force of her Stand forcing him to the floor. She pinned Josiah down with her Stand's arms and legs, the fleshy humanoid figure just inches above his body; he attempted to struggle, but he could only budge slightly as its grip tightened.

"What about that Sophia girl, Josiah? Wasn't she the one that gave up her worthless life so some other schmucks could live?" Akiko taunted him, giggling as she saw what could only be described as pure rage on his face. "She's probably looking down on you as we speak, shaking her head in disappointment and wondering why you didn't come to save her!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH BEFORE I SHUT IT FOR YOU!" Josiah threatened, though he soon regretted it as The Plot In You moved its fist for a split second to strike the helpless man in the chin, leaving him to cough violently.

"How rude, learn how to talk to your elders properly and with respect, kid!" Akiko teased him before stepping on his left hand, the heel of her shoe digging into his flesh as she chuckled. "Y'know, I said I didn't have the patience for torture, but this is actually kinda fun! Aren't you so happy that you gave me an idea?"

"Goddamn it…" Josiah murmured in anger, wincing in pain as she treated him like a child's toy, his body refusing to move. "What the hell are you even gaining from this?! You killed so many people, what did you do it for?!"

"Because I could!" Akiko exclaimed cheerfully, bending down onto her legs as she ran her fingers underneath Josiah's chin gently. "Really, don't you pay attention? The only reason you're so angry is because I killed your dumbass friends. You know I'm right, so why don't you just admit it already? I might just get this over with if you do."

"You're pathetic," Josiah cringed as he budged slightly yet again, his sky blue aura fighting to stay as he tried his best to fight back, "I can't give up here. I won't let this be how it ends!"

"It doesn't matter if you want it to or not, sorry to burst your bubble!" Akiko gave his face a hard smack before moving her hand over to his brown hair, her fingers gripping it tightly. "Consider this payback for beating the shit out of me."  
Josiah could not respond as she pulled him by his brown locks, slamming his face into the wood tiled floor repeatedly, only laughing loudly as blood seeped out of his nose; she did not stop for quite a few seconds, eventually holding his head up to see that blood would cake his face if she continued this act.

"You aren't going to get away with this," Josiah choked those words out, his face now almost completely numb, "You don't have what it takes to succeed, Akiko… you don't have the guts or the determination inside of you to win! All you do is kill and kill, again and again, which has gotten you nowhere!"

"I thought I told you to cut the shit with those monologues of yours," Akiko said sternly, licking her lips as she pulled harder on his hair, "You think I'm gonna have a change of heart or something? I never took you for a hopeless romantic, especially after the way you pummeled me!"

"You're wrong," Josiah spat blood near Akiko's shoes, his sky blue eyes attempting to focus in on the intrigued look on her face as he spoke, "You don't have the spirit to actually live life, so you're running like a scared kid!"

"You keep spouting the same shit, over and over. What's your point?" Akiko asked, feeling anger rising in her chest as she pulled harder on his locks. "You're doing the same by chasing me all the damn time, you hypocrite."

"You might be right," Josiah mumbled as he shakily moved his body upward, his arm suddenly forcing itself out of The Plot In You's grip which made Akiko gasp; he grabbed her hand, his voice now cracking, "You've wasted almost twenty years of your life murdering people, murdering _children_ , for your amusement! No matter what, I'll spend every ounce of life in my body bringing you to JUSTICE!"

"SHUT UP!" Akiko screeched as her Stand's crimson fist ran through Josiah's stomach, his body falling limp instantly which left her to pant, though she smiled. "Not so good at talking shit now, huh?!"

Josiah could feel his vocal chords stretch out, his lungs gasping for air – but it was all for nothing, it was just a fruitless effort. How could this have happened? He felt the pressure on his body leave, though the indescribable pain ran through every single cell in his bloodstream.

 _Sophia… I'm sorry…_ Josiah thought to himself as he felt his sky blue eyes cloud with what were either tears of pain or sorrow, he could not tell. His vision became darker as his consciousness fell away from him and into the abyss, leaving him to stare at the darkening ceiling.

He attempted to scream out in pain once again, though this time around he felt his vocal chords _snap_. His fingers moved across the hole in his gut, though their tips soon numbing as he felt the fresh blood, and he soon lost all sense of smell as he gasped for air, though it seemed that this world would not be so forgiving. He knew that now as everything came to a sudden stop.

 **Josiah Joestar… has died.**

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED… ?_**


	38. The Human Spirit

_**The Human Spirit.**_

Darkness.

That was all that Josiah Joestar saw around him, even when he looked down. He was standing on nothingness, and the last thing he could remember was the way that his voice fell flat as he tried to cry out in desperation, her cold fist running through his gut.

"A-Am I dead?" Josiah stammered, almost afraid to speak due to what had just happened to his broken body. His voice echoed out into the nothingness, and he felt as if his two feet were glued to the vast abyss below him.

"Yes, and no," a voice identical to his own spoke and soon a figure that he clearly recognized slowly phased into his sight, "You have died, we both know this. But… do you really not know what we have done to prevent this?"

"Huh? What's going on? Are you what I think you are?" Josiah ran his hand over his chest with caution, but he did not feel a heartbeat emitting from it. "Just… what the hell is going on here? I'm dead!"

"Yes, you are. But not for long," the identical voice replied, its mechanical head nodding before walking towards its user, "You know very well that we are one, we are the same, as Stands are the physical manifestation of a human being's soul. You will not remain here for long, and you know the answer, since I do."

"I don't get it," Josiah felt his voice crack as he spoke, his eyes clouding with what seemed to be tears due to the absence of a heartbeat, "I really don't get it… I'm sorry, but can you spell it out for me? Death is death, there's no way around it, right?"

"Normally there is no way around it," Downplay nodded, crossing its arms as it continued, "But you know of my ability to reset things. You unconsciously set a reset timer a minute or so before you were murdered, so you now have the choice of returning… but I do not know if you will choose that path over the one that is being opened. You can choose either life… or death. It is up to you."

"What – what the hell are you talking about?!" Josiah asked as his Stand suddenly faded away in a rush of light, which soon overtook him and he instinctively covered his eyes like he had seen the sun for the first time in months. They fluttered open after a few moments, though he did not recognize where he had been placed.

It was an empty street, the sky above it being a solemn gray as snow fell slowly and touched the ground beneath him. He turned around, seeing that there had been a thick wall of concrete extending out from the road behind him – it even seemed to nearly touch the sky.

Unsure of what else to do, Josiah steadily walked forward.. His bones rattled as he forced his feet to move and he eventually saw that he had to turn left. As he did so, he could see a familiar figure, though he felt like he could vomit when he saw the massive gash in their neck.

He had semi-long black hair with several gray streaks running through it as it waved in the wind, his cheekbones high and his dress shirt a bright white that had matched with his black dress pants, and on his feet had been a pair of leather shoes. But what stood out to Josiah was his face.

"I've seen you before," Josiah spoke, his mouth dry as the man's cold gaze met his own, "You're Damon Lustbader! You're supposed to be dead!"

"And you're the infamous Josiah Joestar, there's a damn annoying girl who won't shut up about you further down this barren place." Damon scoffed, his fingers rubbing against the deep gash in his neck, blood oozing from it with every second.

"Annoying girl? Wait, what's her name?!" Josiah begged, but Damon merely shrugged in response, implying that he did not know her name as he so hoped.

"You're correct, I am dead. I've been here for quite a while, but I'm not sure what that means any more… time has no meaning to the dead. I suppose this is either hell or purgatory, so were you unlucky enough to be sent to either of those places?"

"I don't think I would be sent to hell with someone like you," Josiah rolled his eyes and walked towards him, his hands in his coat pockets, "I lost to Akiko, but…"

"But what? Do you really intend to find a way out of this wretched place?" Damon questioned out of genuine curiosity, his head tilting to the side slightly. "I've searched for god knows how long, and I can't find a damn thing."

"I don't think I have to look for anything," Josiah stated, shivering as snowflakes danced in the air around him, "Why the hell do I have to talk to you out of all people? There's a girl further down the street, like you said? This can't be right… none of this makes sense!"

"There's quite a few people waiting down the street for you, Joestar, though I do not know their names, and I have only seen two of them," Damon spoke, his breath visible as the cold air numbed his flushed cheeks, "Maybe it's fate that you were placed here… it's all that damn woman's fault that I'm stuck here in the first place, and it seems to be the same with you."

"It's your own fault that you ended up here Damon," Josiah spoke rather calmly despite the subject at hand, his gaze somewhat warm, "I've learned that you can't just blame things on other people, or even yourself… but this time around, you're fully to blame. It's your fault because you're the one who made the decision to kill. But what the fuck do I know? I'm a dead man."

"Perhaps you're right," Damon chuckled, then turned away from Josiah as he stared up into the cloudy sky, "Do me a favor, Josiah Joestar… I want you to send a message to her. Tell her to eat shit."

"I didn't need you to tell me that, especially not in a place like this," Josiah said somewhat coldly but he chuckled lightly as he walked past Damon, who did not dare to look towards him again… and, oddly enough, he was unsure if it was out of hatred or respect.

Josiah turned yet another corner, his vision obscured from his next destination by the wall that had been erected from the concrete. This time around he was able to see a familiar lanky figure, his messy black hair being a dead giveaway to who he was – well, if it wasn't that, it would have been the sheathed sword on his back.

"Masujiro!" Josiah called out to the slender teenager, who in turn had looked behind him and smirked slightly. He had also seen that Masujiro was wearing an over-sized coat over most of his body. "It's really nice to see you again, but… what's with the coat? When I saw Damon, he was dressed normally…"

"It's probably 'cause this place favors us over him, and wants you to see us in a better light than an asshat like him!" Masujiro said rudely before sighing. "You're having trouble right now, aren't you? You have that kinda air around you."

"More than you know," Josiah responded, though he felt a lump form in his throat, "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help you, Masujiro. No one was able to get to you, but maybe if I was there…"

"Hey, none of that sappy shit," Masujiro interrupted before putting a hand on the Joestar's shoulder, squeezing it lightly, "This is your one chance to say goodbye, so don't mess it up by blaming everything on yourself. I died because I rushed ahead like a dumbass… hell, as punishment, Issues isn't even with me. At least I think that's a punishment… but, my point is, you should make the most of the time you have here. I don't know what force is keeping you here, but I know you can get past this, bro."

"Yeah, I don't really have any other choice," Josiah nodded, though he could not help but feel a hint of doubt crawling inside of his head, but he attempted to ignore it. "I'll show Akiko that the Joestars aren't a family that you can just mess with… besides, you're a Joestar, remember? You're family to me, always will be."

"You're goddamn right!" Masujiro grinned and fist bumped Josiah, he then smiled sadly and stepped out of the way. "I'm pretty sure this place is purgatory. We're waiting for our redemption, but no one's been able to stop her yet. If no one else, you have to do it… that's just how it has to be. The Joestar family always gets caught up in somebody else's mess…"

"I bet you've experienced something like this, so I trust you," Josiah then stood in front of him, smiling brightly, "Masujiro, you're a good friend."

"So are you, but I have something to tell you," Masujiro said, tears forming on the edges of his eyes as he continued, "An old friend once told me that when we move on from this life, we become stars and light the way for anyone who needs it. I believe that's what all your friends are going to be for you, Josiah… that's what they've been to me."

"I think you're right, though I never thought you of all people would tell me something like that," Josiah half-joked, but to tell the truth he was honestly rather surprised at the lanky teenager's wise words, "I'll keep that in my heart until the end."

"Fucking better," Masujiro chuckled, returning to his rude demeanor before shutting his eyes, "Well, you better get moving. You've got a few more people who wanna talk to you before you leave… still don't know how you're gonna do that, but I think at this point, anything is possible for you."

Josiah merely nodded, giving him a tight squeeze on the teen's shoulder before walking further, his feet feeling somewhat heavier the further he walked. He turned another corner, seeing a vaguely familiar figure, though he could only remember him as Nico Andreaccio.

"So, you're the one taking care of my Jin, huh?" Nico started, his arms crossed as he stepped towards Josiah, who seemed taken aback by his words. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, and she's a lot stronger than you would ever believe," Josiah assured him, which resulted in the man sighing with relief, "It's admirable that you're here and you still worry about her so much."

"I can't help that she's still my everything," Nico said with no shame and without a single stutter in his words, "If you can actually return to life, maybe I won't be stuck here, worrying about her for the rest of time. Maybe then I can entrust her to you."

"She doesn't need to be entrusted to anyone," Josiah replied firmly, "Jin can stand on her own without a guiding hand, but she's made so many friends. We're all friends, we'll take care of one another like we always have."

"You're a good man, I can feel that," Nico smiled slightly, though it soon disappeared as it turned to a rather pensive frown, "You're terrified, aren't you? It's not easy to admit, but doing something like this must be more disturbing and horrifying than anything you've ever done."

"You're right, I'm scared shitless," Josiah admitted clearly, his bones still rattling in fear, "But I can't let that stop me now. What kind of person would I be if I ran away just because I was scared?"

"Heh, that's a good point," Nico said quietly, extending his hand towards Josiah slowly, who in return shook it firmly, "When I fought her, I did the best I could. My strength and my skills just weren't enough, but, if nothing else, I'll put my faith and trust in you."

"Thank you, Nico," Josiah smiled somewhat sadly as he retracted his hand, "I'm sorry things turned out this way. I was told that you gave your life to protect Jin, so I hope I'm able to do the same if it comes to that."

"You've already given your life… normally, I would ask you if you would really want to risk losing it again, but we both know that you need to go back and stop her," Nico slid his hands into his pants pockets and turned away, "Do you know how you're going to get back, though?"

"I don't, but I'm sure I'll find out if I just keep going," Josiah said as he stepped forward, though he felt as if his feet were going to drag across the concrete, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Nico. I'm sure we'll meet again when it's really my time to go."

"You can count on it," Nico gave him a genuine smile despite the worry rising in his heart, "Get going, Josiah! There are only two more people up ahead, but keep pushing no matter what!"

"Got it!" Josiah said before turning away, the weight around his feet growing heavier with each passing second. Thankfully, he had managed to turn yet another corner in this seemingly endless street, though that was the least bizarre thing that had happened.

Josiah stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw the next person who had been waiting for him, and he knew for a fact that it was who he thought it was, his body almost completely still if it was not for the fact he turned and looked right at him with a kind smile. He gulped and forced his body to move forward until he was a foot or two away from the man, though he had noticed that Shinnosuke looked rather content.

"Shinnosuke…" Josiah murmured, his hands balling up into fists as his breathing became slightly more shallow. "I'm… I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything to help you, if only I had gotten there in time-"

"Josiah, don't say sorry for something that was never your fault," Shinnosuke interrupted, though his voice had no hint of roughness or anxiety, "You didn't let me down, and you never have. Akiko has to be stopped, and I know you're the one who's going to make her see the error of her ways…"

"Shinnosuke-"

"I'll be okay here while you go back to our world. I'm sure that once you've beaten her, we'll be able to pass on-" Shinnosuke stopped speaking as his friend held up his hand, as if to tell him to stop talking.

Josiah nodded and attempted to smile weakly, which seemed to be enough for Shinnosuke. He stepped out of the way to let the quiet man pass, only hearing an almost inaudible sob as he moved forward, his feet starting to drag.

 _It's okay, Shinnosuke… though, you know me well enough so you probably figured out what's going on inside my head. This is either purgatory or my own personal hell, but… it was nice seeing you again, my friend._ Josiah thought to himself as he held back his tears, though he struggled doing so.

He turned one more corner, seeing that several feet away from him was a dead end but that was the least of his concerns. In the middle of the final street stood a familiar, unmistakable woman, her hands rubbing together for warmth before she looked up to see her old friend.

"Josiah!" She cheered, grinning as she ran towards him though she stopped when she had managed to get in front of him. "I could hear you talking to Shinnosuke. Do you know why you're here now?"

"I guess it's my one shot to say goodbye," Josiah replied, somewhat surprised that he was able to speak despite the woman in front of him, his hands almost shaking violently as he stared at her with a sense of disbelief, "Shinnosuke thinks that once I beat Akiko you guys will pass on… do you really think I can do it?"

"Of course I do!" Sophia said, clasping her hands together as her hazel eyes shimmered. "When I was alive, you fought off so many other enemies! You even beat that guy who tried to trap you inside of that weird castle!"

"Heh, I almost forgot about that!" Josiah said happily, laughing lightly though he stopped before bringing up a much more serious subject. "I'm really sorry about what happened, Sophia… maybe if I knew, I would have been there to help you fight. Gustavo told me about how you gave your life to save a total stranger, which wasn't that much of a surprise. You have such a big heart."

"Oh, I just wanted to do the right thing," Sophia giggled nervously, a warm blush resting on each of her cheeks, "Don't blame yourself, okay? It happened because it had to happen, there's nothing else to it! If it didn't happen then, it would have happened some other time. So take this from me… Josiah, you have done nothing wrong. And if you did, I forgive you."

"I… thank you so much," Josiah felt a lump form in his throat, but before he could speak he could see that Sophia had begun to sniffle, "Sophia? What's wrong?"

She didn't speak, and she barely made a sound before she brought her hands to her face in a futile attempt to dissuade Josiah from taking a closer look. But she just couldn't take it any more, and spoke anyway.

"I miss you so much," Sophia sobbed, instinctively pressing her head against Josiah's chest as she started to cry, "I miss everyone so much… I just wanted everything to be okay, but in the end I couldn't even stop you from hating yourself for something you didn't do… what kind of friend am I?"

"Don't you ever talk about yourself like that," Josiah whispered, wrapping his arms around Sophia as he pulled her close, "As far as I'm concerned, you beat Akiko. I blamed myself when I shouldn't have, that is not your fault… and for what it's worth, I miss you too. Far more than you could ever imagine."

"Josiah…" Sophia sobbed loudly into his chest as he held himself back, though she soon looked up at the man, which prompted him to rest his left hand on her cheek. "We'll meet again, whenever your life is finished… you know that, right? I don't know if I can wait that long…"

"I'm sure all that time will feel like a split second once you've passed on," Josiah reassured her, running his thumb across her skin, "I have to get going, I can't stay here forever. I hope you understand, Sophia."

"Yeah, I know," Sophia nodded slowly before pulling away, her cheery smile returning, "All you have to do is walk all the way back to where you came from, I think. I've done it a few times and there was a doorway, but I could never open it… maybe you can, though… but there's a catch. You can't look back, no matter what."

"I got it," Josiah mustered all the courage inside of him and turned away, though he did not walk away just yet, "Hey, Sophia. Thanks for everything."

"No, thank you," Sophia replied, her palm pressing against Josiah's back slowly, and she could feel the lump in her throat slowly return, "I'm always with you, never forget that. Whenever you hit a dead end, just remember that you came this far! You can do it, with or without me! I'll see you later, JoJo!"

"I'll make you and everyone else proud! See you later!" Josiah clenched his jaw and started to walk, his sky blue eyes dead set on the street in front of him. As he walked he could feel warm breath hitting the back of his neck, hands grazing his back and his sides while he walked rather slowly, his feet pulling across the concrete as he ignored everyone he had passed.

He could feel a looming darkness behind him, though he did as he promised and did not turn around for anything as he saw the wooden door at the end of the street. Josiah stayed patient with every single step, his hand wrapping around the door knob once he arrived. With that, he then opened the door and well went black.

"So, I'm going back to her world, right?" Josiah asked as darkness surrounded him, his Stand once again standing in front of him, which then nodded.

"Yes, in another minute you will have returned to the world of the living," Downplay answered, raising one of its hands which had a golden glow emitting from it, "You have fulfilled a condition that I had placed when I first awakened. You chose to save the lives of others instead of resting in peace with the one you love, so now I will change to accommodate your new found spiritual power. All you have to thank is your own selflessness."

Josiah stared in awe as an intense golden light surrounded his Stand, the darkness around him illuminating as this went on for several seconds. It was only when this heavenly light dissipated that he could see his evolved Stand.

Downplay's physique remained unchanged. However, its body is now white, the previously gray lines turning into a soft yet brilliant gold. The wires from its fingers are now tucked away, and on its back are two wings, elegantly engraved. The lines now also form golden crosses along its back and shoulders, with the marking on its torso being in the shape of a star. The word 'Jo' is engraved on each cheek. Around its wrists and ankles are two spinning golden wheels surrounded by flames, and the wings on its back extended out into what one would describe as angel wings, though they were tightened with wire.

"I am much faster, stronger, and durable than I was before," Downplay added as its user stared in complete shock, though pleased, "I now have the ability to reset three times a day, so use this wisely. Are you ready to return, Josiah Joestar?"

"Yeah, let's go get this over with." Josiah nodded eagerly as he felt his consciousness slip away, though he felt rather content now – mere moments had passed before his eyes opened once more, seeing that he was now at the back of the bedroom he had been killed in.

He looked around the vicinity of the area, seeing that Akiko was near the hole that she had created. She seemed to be merely staring out into the pink sky wistfully, her body almost completely still which came as a surprise. He did not take her as someone that could appreciate beauty, though maybe she only appreciated it because she was the one that created this world.

Josiah carefully walked towards her, the heart in his chest not beating as wildly as it was during their earlier encounter. He smirked as he stood over her, his left hand soon resting on her shoulder which made her turn around rather quickly.

"Eat shit!" Josiah shouted as Downplay's white fist met with the slit-mouthed woman's face, the force of it sending her flying out from the hole and towards the field of flowers. "Damn, that felt good."

Akiko gagged as she hit her chest, the woman spitting out dirt from her mouth as she glared at Josiah, her eyes wide and shaking at the very sight of this man that was dead just a minute ago.

"How in the hell are you alive?! Tell me!" Akiko demanded to know as she picked herself up, her face filled with a stinging sensation. "I punched a hole through your fucking gut!"

"Oh, what a shame, I didn't tell you what my Stand's ability is," Josiah said with crossed arms, "I can use Downplay's index finger on its left hand and attach it to anything, which also has a timer on it for when I'm reset. It brings me back to the condition that I was in during that time, which was about thirty minutes ago, so I'm completely unharmed thanks to that. I got lucky, I guess, because my Stand can reset even death!"

"I'll just have to completely obliterate your Stand, then," Akiko chuckled as her enormous orange aura surrounded her slender frame, "So what if your Stand got a makeover?! I'll crush you again and make sure you stay dead this time!"

Akiko darted towards Josiah, who did the same thing in return. Within moments, their Stand's fists collided which caused a massive gust of wind to emit from the space between their knuckles, the wind nearly forcing the users back.

Josiah remained silent as Downplay's fist met with The Plot In You's second fist, another gust of wind following as they made contact. Akiko looked rather surprised as she struggled to push Downplay back, though it showed no sign of moving.

"You're damn strong, I'll give you that much!" Akiko complimented as her Stand pushed forward, though Downplay did the same. Their heels continually dug into the earth beneath them as they fought for dominance.

The Plot In You swung one of its legs at the side of Downplay's face, the latter taking the blow to the head as it moved its left arm, its bare knuckled fist meeting with its enemy's chin. Akiko jumped away from Josiah, who wiped the blood seeping out from the right corner of his lip away.

"This isn't what I expected, really," Josiah spoke, his calm blue eyes staring straight ahead at Akiko who looked rather puzzled, "This world you've created is so peaceful, I would have never guessed it would belong to someone like you… Stands are supposed to reflect the user's soul, so this is kind of a sick joke, don't you think?"

"Stop flapping your gums and keep fighting, kid!" Akiko protested, obviously put off by this young man's words, though she would not let him see that. If he had even the slightest idea of what went on in her head, he might just use it against her. "You won't throw me off with that shit!"

"I expected something like that," Josiah shook his head and clenched his fists, his sky blue aura erupting around him, "So come on!"

"I'm going to knock that holier than thou attitude out of you, you little shit!" Akiko threatened as she charged once again, this time around the force of her Stand's body pushed Josiah and Downplay back towards the brick house.

"ORA!" Downplay cried as it kneed The Plot In You in the gut, four wires from its enormous wings shooting towards the fleshy Stand, each of them embedding into the skin on its left as electric shocks ran through it.

"GET OFF!" Akiko screamed in agony as her Stand ripped out the wires all at once, which resulted in several small holes opening up in her arm from which blood leaked. In retaliation, Akiko's Stand pulled out is enormous pair of scissors. "I'M GOING TO CUT YOU INTO PIECES FOR THAT!"

The Plot In You jabbed the scissors forward, though Downplay had managed to grab each side of it, stopping it in its tracks much to Akiko's chagrin. It would seem that they were in a stalemate, as neither of them would budge an inch.

"I don't think so!" Josiah growled and tightened his Stand's grip on the colossal pair of scissors, its fingers pressing downward which then cracked each side slightly. "You're not getting back in here EVER AGAIN!"

"Stop it! STOP!" Akiko begged, though despite her pleas the enemy crushed the ends of the pair of scissors. Downplay yanked the rest of it away from The Plot In You, and then tossed it across the bedroom. "This isn't right!"

"How many times do I have to correct you? I'm going to right the wrongs that you've committed, Akiko," Josiah said calmly, though he panted lowly, "I just don't see the point of telling you any more, it's just worthless banter."

"You're completely different from the man I killed," Akiko's chest heaved as she spoke, her fingernails digging into her palms, "You couldn't have made this big of a change in such a small amount of time!"

"You underestimated the power of the Joestar family, Akiko," Josiah replied with a cold glare, "It may be destiny that all Joestars face a great threat in their lives, but I won't let that define me. I'm Josiah Joestar, and I'm a normal man. I've come from a long line of heroes, but that doesn't matter… all I want to do is make things right again."

"Cut that shitty attitude of yours before I rip your tongue out of your mouth!" Akiko yelled in an attempt to intimidate the Joestar, though he continued to stand tall despite her threat. "Even that Kubrick asshole didn't give me this much trouble!"

"You've finally met your match, and you're afraid to admit it," Josiah said bluntly and honestly as he stepped towards the murderer, "It's kind of sad, because you like to call anyone who opposes you a child. Does this mean you're weaker than a little kid then, Akiko?"

"Yeah, keep talking you cocky little brat, I'm not done yet!" Akiko ran forward and had The Plot In You throw a heavy punch towards Downplay's mouth, which the latter then blocked at the very last moment. As it did this, The Plot In You delivered a swift uppercut to its opponent's jaw.

"Shit!" Josiah coughed as the enemy Stand repeatedly landed several hard punches against Downplay's sleek frame, forcing the Joestar against the brick wall of the bedroom and then with one last hit, she sent him flying through the wall and out of the bedroom. The woman laughed loudly, her look of shock from earlier twisting into a smile filled with pride.

"You don't fuck with me! I'm the strongest Stand user you'll ever meet, kid!" Akiko bragged pridefully, and then walked towards the house's kitchen, which is where she had thrown him. "Look at the all mighty Joestar, being tossed around like a ragdoll!"

Josiah picked himself up and coughed violently, a few drops of blood falling from his nose as he stood, his body wobbling back and forth until he regained his hold on his consciousness. Despite his durability increase, his opponent still hit like a truck.

"I have a dream, an ambition," Josiah mumbled as he leaned against the kitchen table, his body shaking and aching, "I'm going to come back to my friends, alive and well with good news… that's all I've ever wanted. I want a normal life!"

"You aren't going to get anything by whining like a little brat!" Akiko yelled mockingly as she leaped towards him, though she was unexpectedly swatted out of the air by one of Downplay's wires. "Oof!"

Akiko caught herself before she fell flat on her face, her hands reaching for Josiah's legs who did his best to try to avoid her grasp. But that effort was cut short as her Stand grabbed him by the ankle, and then tossed him out of the sturdy brick house.

"You go on and on about how you've suffered, and how you're going to keep living while I'm stuck in a loop," Akiko started, her tone soft as she poke, "You're just a kid, what could you ever know about real suffering that tore your heart out and stomped on it? Suffering that could rip apart all of your senses and turn you into someone you're not, how could you ever understand?"

"You're contradicting yourself," Josiah spoke loudly and fiercely, though his voice did not strain as he did so, "You're taking away the experiences we've had just to make your life seem shittier, so people will feel sorry for you and have pity… horrible things happened on the road here, and I had to suffer to get to where I am now. You can never take that away from me!"

"YOU'RE A KID! WHAT THE FUCK COULD YOU KNOW?!" Akiko screamed as she threw yet another blow at Josiah, who felt as if his chest cracked when the slit-mouthed woman landed a hard punch that sent him several feet away. "YOU WON'T MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME!"

"Enough of this shit," Josiah spat blood onto the field of flowers beneath him, his breathing erratic and broken as one of his hands soon throwing away his sky blue jacket, "I accepted what's happened to me, but you can't do the same. That's why you're losing, Akiko."

"Go fuck yourself you dumb piece of shit," Akiko shuddered, her eyes widening as her body shook wildly as if it had started to convulse, "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU JUST LIKE I KILLED YOUR FRIEND!"

"You're never touching anyone I love ever AGAIN!" Josiah yelled with ferocity as Akiko made a mad dash for this brave man. Though, she felt an intense pain shifting the entirety of her body as Downplay threw its fists against her Stand's body.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Downplay's battle cry echoed throughout the artificial world, and Akiko could feel each of her bones slowly break as its fists pounded against The Plot In You's crimson body, her lungs giving out as she attempted to scream for him to stop. She couldn't even fight back as Josiah pummeled her relentlessly and mercilessly.

"NO, STOP IT!" Akiko's strained voice managed to break out among the enemy's Stand battle cry, her own soon attempting to cease the merciless enemy fire by crossing its arms in front of its chest. But, her effort proved to be pointless as Downplay's fists still rapidly beat against The Plot In You, the enemy's arms shattering completely from the onslaught. "YOU BROKE MY ARMS! THIS WON'T BE HOW IT ENDS! I WON'T DIE HERE! YOU WON'T KILL ME HERE, YOU FUCKING BRAT!"

"DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!" Josiah retorted as he panted heavily, his arms slowly growing more and more sore as he delivered punishment to Akiko. "This is it for you! THIS IS JUSTICE!"

"STOP! I CAN'T BREATHE!" Akiko begged Josiah, but he did not stop for a single second as his fists slowed down slightly, and he could hear the woman gasping for air as he attacked her relentlessly. "I CAN'T DIE!"

"ORA!" Josiah shouted this time, both of Downplay's fists running through The Plot In You's gut. With one final primal scream, it pulled both ways – and with that, the slit-mouthed murderer's tool of war exploded into nothingness as it was ripped in half.

Akiko's lifeless body fell to the ground, a strange vapor-like energy floating away from it as the world around Josiah began to distort. The exhausted man looked over at her corpse, shaking his head as he shut his eyes for a moment.

"I kept my word," Josiah mumbled to himself, "You're done, Akiko. It's finally over… Sophia, Shinnosuke, everyone… thank you."

Josiah Joestar fell onto his back and smiled towards the pink sky, his eyes remaining closed as he did so.

 _ **Akiko Mikami… dead.  
The Plot In You… utterly defeated. **_

April 6th, 8:55 PM.

Northern Osaka, The Kaito Estate.

"Huh? What's going on over there?!" Jin pointed to what seemed to be a rift opening where Josiah and Akiko had exited. Her eyes widened as Josiah fell out from it, his hand gripping what seemed to be the back of Akiko's shirt.

"Josiah!" Clark exclaimed and rushed forward, though his heart nearly skipped a beat when he got a good look at what was going on. Josiah was still conscious and he was chuckling, but… the woman next to him had stopped breathing altogether. "Did he… really do it?!"

Irene grinned widely as she arrived with her father and Jin, behind her was Dororesu, who had Warut and Taiga holding onto her shoulders as they walked. Each and every single one of them smiled warmly towards Josiah Joestar, who had just now let go of Akiko's lifeless body.

"He did it! Josiah did it!" Warut cheered and nearly threw his daughter into the air out of pure happiness, his chest aching though he laughed anyway. "I knew he could do it!"

"I can't believe it," Jothan put his shaking hand over his mouth, though he reached down to help pull his beaten grandson off the ground, "Come on kid, we have a lot of shit to sort out now that it's all over…"

 _Josiah… I'm so proud of you. I'm sure your father is too…_ Irene thought to herself and smiled, helping Josiah up as he panted heavily.

"What's going on here?!" An unfamiliar voice called out which prompted the group to turn around to see quite a few police officers. "We were looking for that man you're holding up! You're Irene and Jothan Joestar aren't you?! And that man beside you is Warut Mizushima!"

"Look, I can explain Officer!" Warut protested, his heart feeling as if it was going to jump out of his chest. But thankfully, he could see Jothan approach the man in uniform.

"Officer, take a look," Jothan said respectfully and moved out of the way, showing him Akiko Mikami's corpse, "Maybe you would like to reconsider whatever you must be thinking."

"I… oh my good god," the officer's face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning, he then quickly turned to his partners, "Let's get the tools we need to pick up the body! This is amazing news!"

"Looks like you're getting off easy for now dad…" Dororesu joked with a light giggle as the officers made their way towards their vehicles. "Maybe we can rest now."

[One week later…]

April 13th, 9:30 AM.

Osaka's Police Station, Interrogation Room.

Josiah, Warut, Taiga, Dororesu, Clark, and Jin had been called to the police station exactly one week ago, and they kept their promises after they had healed from their injuries.

"Greetings, my name is Officer Hayato," the man spoke in a gruff voice, but he extended his hand to each of them and shook their hands firmly, "And I am here on behalf of the Japanese government to thank you for your hard work. Normally, I would bring you back to base, but my boss suggested that we keep you here for your comfort and out of respect for your actions. We had been hunting down Mikami for nearly two decades, so to hear that she was taken out by you brought nothing but joy to my heart."

"Many people died in the wake of Akiko's rampage, some of them were my closest friends," Josiah started, bowing to Hayato, "I ask you to honor them, it's because of their sacrifice that we came this far, and it's because of them that we were able to avenge everyone that she killed."

"Of course, Josiah Joestar," Hayato nodded respectfully, his voice filled with warmth and respect suddenly. "My respect rests with them, and I believe that they've found peace. I am unsure on how you took out Akiko Mikami, but Clark told me that he had been working with you for quite some time! With that aside, for your courageous actions, each of you will be rewarded with one hundred fourteen million yen, given to you by the Japanese government!"

"Th-that's a lot of money!" Dororesu stammered, nearly falling over once Hayato had announced their reward money.

"Oh, Mizushima," Hayato turned to him, smirking, "We have a special reward for you."

"Yes, sir?" Warut asked, fairly nervous as the man extended his hand to him, to which he responded to by shaking it firmly. "What's going to happen to me?"

"Don't look so afraid Mizushima," Hayato smirked, "You're being rewarded with free plastic surgery and a name change. How does Alexander Knight sound?"

Once those words had reached Warut Mizushima's ears, he could barely contain himself as he felt a lump form in his throat.

"Thank you so much, sir!" Warut bowed to him repeatedly, tears brimming on the edges of his eyes as he thanked the man before him. "I'll never forget this! Thank you!"

"It's no trouble, you earned it," Hayato gave him an understanding nod before turning to Clark, "You may have expected this, but you can take a vacation for a month or two for your hard work. Thank you for continually helping the Japanese government, Mr. Kubrick."

"Make that vacation at least three weeks, I don't wanna be bored for too long," Clark half-joked, giving the officer a light and friendly chuckle, "It's no trouble, you know to call me if something too dangerous comes up."

"I have a question," Taiga rose her now healed arm, "Why aren't Jothan or Irene here right now?"

"They're discussing what will happen to Mikami's body," Hayato started, clasping his hands together tightly, "And they're arranging young Fujiwara's funeral, who they told me was a friend of yours. I'm very sorry for all that you have lost, you're all wonderful people."

"That's fine," Jin added, sighing deeply before giving the officer a pat on the shoulder, "No one died in vain. I'm sure they know that everything is fine!"

"Yeah," Josiah replied softly, "Everything is over and done with… I hope the rest of the world is as happy as we are."

Indeed it was.

Everyone that had survived their journey to take out Akiko Mikami were nearly overjoyed once the news of her death had reached national news. The day it was announced, Josiah could spot people celebrating in the streets without a care in the world.

It truly brought happiness to his heart to see that he did the world a favor, but he did not what anything in return, and he would have turned the cash reward away if it were not for the fact that he was fired from his job for not showing up for several days.

[Three days later…]

April 15th, 10:00 AM.

Victory Ministries.

Arrangements for Shinnosuke's funeral were made rather quickly upon his parent's request, who were beyond shocked and terrified when they learned that their son had been murdered. Josiah, his family, and most of his friends made it their duty to support them to the best of their ability. Warut could not come due to the fact that he was still recovering from his plastic surgery, though he asked Josiah to give Shinnosuke's parents his best wishes.

"You must be Shinnosuke's parents," Josiah said formally as he talked to the man and woman in the front row, the two of them looking as if they aged twenty years in the span of a week, "I'm Josiah Joestar, I was very close to your son… I'm, really, really sorry about what happened."

"Terunosuke told us all about you! My name is Sora," the father spoke, shaking Josiah's hand firmly and tightly before he pointed to his wife, "And this is Midori. It's so nice to finally meet you, he used to tell us about you so much."

"Really? I hope he told you the good things!" Josiah joked, which managed to get a small laugh out of the grieving parents.

"He told me that you once bought every single volume of his manga, that made us both ecstatic!" Midori exclaimed, a small but sad smile on her face. "He was always really quiet, so when he made a friend like you, it made both of us really happy for him. Thank you so much for being so kind to our son, Josiah."

"It was an honor and a privilege to be his friend, miss," Josiah bowed to her respectfully, his hands now in his jacket pockets, "Shinnosuke was my best friend, and I'll never forget him. Besides, I'm sure he's waiting for me as we speak."

"Of course," Sora said, "Thank you so much for talking with us, it made an old pitiful man like me smile for the first time in days. I can see why Shinnosuke admired you."

"It's no big deal," Josiah waved and moved to the left side of the room, where his friends had been sitting patiently, "Hey, I'm all done. When's the service starting?"

"In a few minutes," Taiga responded quietly as the well-dressed priest walked through the aisle, "I'm not one for funerals, but… this is different."

"Yeah." Dororesu murmured, staring down at her feet as the priest arrived at the podium, his hands on both sides of it. "I guess this is goodbye…"

"Before we begin, there is something in Terunosuke Fujiwara's will that I would like to address," the priest began, his eyes shifting towards Josiah, "In his will, he asked that his closest friend, Josiah Joestar speak. So, if you will, please come."

"Huh? Okay…" Josiah complied and made his way up to the podium, his heart pounding with nervousness. "Uh… as you all may or may not know, I was very close to Shinnosuke. We spent almost every hour together when we weren't busy with work, and we liked to talk, goof off, whatever you can imagine best friends would do together. I, uh… can honestly say I've never known a more kind man before in my life."

Josiah Joestar's mouth almost froze before he continued to speak as he stared into the sea of people, many of them relatives. And unlike Sophia's funeral so many months ago, he now knew exactly what to tell them.

"I think I know what's weighing on your hearts," Josiah added, his fingers rubbing against the wooden podium, "So let me tell you this… it's not your fault. His death is no one's fault, it's not mine, it's not his parent's… it's only the fault of one person who I will not name, but they have been brought to justice and now Shinnosuke can truly rest in peace. So when you go to sleep tonight, please, keep in mind that none of this is your fault… that's all I have to say. Thank you."

Josiah Joestar's words were met with lengthy applause as he returned to his seat between Taiga and Clark, the latter firmly squeezing Josiah's shoulder a sign of report. Within the next minute, the priest returned to the podium.

"You did a damn good job," Clark whispered to Josiah as the priest spoke, "Shinnosuke would be so proud of you."

"Yeah. I know," Josiah replied with a murmur, "And I'm just as proud of him."

[Thirty minutes pass…]

One final prayer was said before the crowd dispersed, leaving Josiah to stand with his friends who had already been drained emotionally and mentally from the service. When Josiah turned, he saw that Clark had been standing near several tombstones, his hands in his pockets.

"Give me a moment and then we can leave guys," Josiah told his friends who then looked towards where he was walking, but Jin managed to stop him by tugging on the back of his shirt, "Huh, what is it?"

"I'm going with you," Jin said, her mind clearly made up as she stood right next to the tall man, "No one should have to grieve alone."

"If you're sure," Josiah replied, clearly surprised at her sudden proposal, "Well, do you guys want to come along? I wouldn't want to keep you waiting."

"Take your time kid," Jothan gave his grandson a thumbs up, "You, Clark, and Jin have hurt more than anyone else here, so it's your right to grieve together. You have all the time in the world as far as I'm concerned, isn't that right, Irene?"

"Right," Irene agreed as she started to walk towards her vehicle, "I'll be waiting in my car, it's freezing out here."

"Alright, see you in a few minutes." Josiah replied before walking towards Clark, who had ripped a piece of beef jerky off with his teeth and was chewing rather slowly. "Hey, what are you doing all the way out there by yourself?"

"Josiah, I need to talk to you," Clark murmured, his faded violet eyes visibly filled with tears as he shook, "Akiko was carrying my cell phone on her person the entire time, which means… she found Shinnosuke, and it's my fault that he's dead. I'm… I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault," Josiah placed a hand on the elderly man's right shoulder, his sky blue eyes filled with warmth and forgiveness, "Sophia told me that things happen this way because they're meant to happen, so don't blame yourself for something like that. If fate is real, then it would have happened eventually, so don't beat yourself up."

"I'm trying my hardest," Clark argued, this picture of him bewildering Josiah as he brushed the falling tears off his face, "Many people that I worked with during missions have died, but the weight that came with those deaths have never held so tightly onto my heart. Shinnosuke got away because I did such a shitty job taking care of Akiko, the only reason he died was because she got my cellphone. Do you think they would forgive me? I'm having a hard time believing that."

"Trust me, Nico wouldn't be mad at you I'm certain of that," Jin assured him, her hand running over his other shoulder, "Didn't you listen to Josiah? None of this is your fault, things happened this way because they had to happen. You did a really good job protecting us, so don't discredit yourself when you deserve all the thanks we can offer."

"Yeah, so stop beating yourself up old man," Josiah laughed and threw his arm around Clark, who slowly stood up straight like usual, "You're the one who taught me to stand up straight when everything was bringing to my knees, so don't think I'm going to resent you for something like this. It's okay, and even if it was your fault, I forgive you."

"Okay," Clark sniffed, shaking his head for a moment before staring down at the grave that appeared to be Sophia's, "I'm proud of you, Josiah, and you too, Jin. You've grown so much in these past few months, and I treasure your friendship like nothing else. I'm leaving town in a week, so be sure to say goodbye to me before then."

"Yeah, give yourself more credit," Jin said, giving him a tight hug before smiling over at Josiah, who only looked down at the tombstone, "Are you alright, Josiah?"

"I'm fine, I'm just thinking is all," Josiah smirked and stared up into the cloudy sky, his hair flowing in the breeze, "I'll never forget any of them, for the rest of my days I'll carry them in my heart."

"You better not, friends are the only permanent thing you got in this world," Clark gave him a hard pat on the shoulder, "What she took away can never be given back, but it's because they gave their lives that we were able to put a stop to her killing. I was chasing her down for so many years, and now, she's finally dead and gone… I've never been more honored to work with someone, Josiah Joestar."

"Our battle's won," Josiah nodded, looking way from Clark, "And thank you for helping us. We couldn't have done this without you… and now, not just you, but all of us can sit back and rest."

As he said this, Josiah stared into the cloudy sky. It may have looked as if it was going to rain, but he knew the sun would come out after, despite the hell that would come. The same could be said about the past few months.

[Three days pass…]

Osaka National Airport.

April 22nd, 5:30 PM.

Josiah walked throughout the airport lobby with Warut, his face reshaped to the point where his nose was now normal but extended outward slightly, and all the scarring on his face had been completely taken care of.

"It's a shame that Jin had to work this afternoon," Josiah sighed as he looked to the left and then to the right, "She really wanted to see him off…"

"I think I see 'em up ahead!" Warut commented and walked slightly faster than Josiah, who stood back for a moment to see Dororesu tugging her luggage behind her, and Clark soon came into view with only his briefcase in hand.

"Hey!" Josiah greeted them with a wave as he approached, though he felt a sadness linger in his heart as he did so. "So, you've made up your mind, Dororesu?"

"Yeah, I'm going to go to school in America and major in fashion design," Dororesu said with an eagerness in her tone, "With that reward money, I won't have any trouble surviving, even when I convert it. I'll do my damn best in school!"

"I can't believe my little girl is growing up," Warut sniffed, wiping tears away with his arm before looking upon her, "I know you'll be the best in your class! If you need any help, you can always call me for help!"

"Heh, thanks dad," Dororesu leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before turning to Josiah, "And thank you, Josiah! Meeting you and everyone else has been the best part of my life so far. I can always count on you guys, right?"

"Mhm! If you ever call my name, I'll come running," Josiah assured her, "I'm sure anyone you've met will do that for you."

"Passengers on United Airspace Flight Fifty-four, bound for Los Angeles, California, please head to Gate Fourteen."

"That's my flight! I'll see you later, wish me luck!" Dororesu quickly pulled her luggage around as Warut and Josiah shouted their goodbyes until she left their sight, leaving them with Clark Kubrick who only waved.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," Clark extended his hand, though he was surprised when neither of them reached to shake it, "Huh, what's wrong?"

"Come here, you hard ass!" Josiah laughed and pulled Clark close, hugging him tightly before letting him go. "You really need to lighten up. I practically see you as family now, so don't be afraid to hug me!"

"I'm uh, not one for hugs," Clark said, a warm blush resting on his cheeks as he looked away but just a moment after he returned the hug, nearly squeezing Josiah to death, "If you ever need me, just call. Even if it's for nothing huge, and you just want to hang out for a little bit, I'll come by. Besides, didn't you tell me that you promised to play ball with that little Ryo boy?"

"You're right, I almost forgot!" Josiah exclaimed, the memory rushing back into his skull. "Well, you better free up your busy schedule this summer, because we're all going to play ball! Also, uh, can you let go of me? You're crushing me!"

"I can't wait to kick Clark's ass!" Warut joked and then crossed his arms as Clark let go of Josiah, laughing loudly which resulted in the other two laughing as well. "It's the only way it's possible!"

"You're damn right!" Clark punched Warut on the shoulder playfully, his ears perking up once he heard the speaker turn on.

"Passengers on United Airspace Flight Fifty-five, bound for Winstonville, Mississippi, please head to Gate Fifteen."

Clark rose his hand and then spread two of his fingers apart, shooting the two of them a peace sign as he smiled. "I'll be seeing you in a few months, so until we meet again!"

The old veteran turned around, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his suitcase as he walked towards his destination.

Warut turned to Josiah, scratching his chin absentmindedly. "Now what?"

"It's back to normal life for now," Josiah sighed, turning to Warut before he faced the lobby's exit, "Do you wanna go see a movie or something?"

"Why not just pick some random movie? I'm down for anything!" Warut suggested.

"Sure!"

"Also, uh… I just wanna say thanks, Josiah," Warut turned to him with a thankful, teary-eyed smile, "I never really said it, but thanks for standing with me and helping me save my daughter. Even though I attacked you when I met you, you decided to help a total stranger… you're really somethin' else."

"Huh? Oh, of course man," Josiah threw his arm around him, pulling the older muscular man close as he walked towards the exit, "I knew you weren't a bad guy from the start, it was easy to tell that you were desperate and afraid! I'll always be your friend!"

 _ **Where they are now…**_

Josiah Joestar entered a relationship with Jin Kovich several months later, the former working with the famous mangaka Rohan Kishibe for a secret project that only he and Jin knew about.

Jin Kovich started going to college to earn a teaching degree, in order to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher.

Warut Mizushima became a well known wrestling instruction under his new name Alexander Knight, who was feared for his extreme way of teaching.

Dororesu Matsumae aced her classes on her way to become a fashion designer, and with every day her dream becomes more of a reality.

Despite having the money to live without stealing, Taiga decided to do so anyway for the thrill, but would only do this to the rich. She stays at Josiah's apartment every so often.

Clark Kubrick continued working as a hired mercenary, though he made sure to take it easy whenever he was on vacation. He visits Josiah and his friends often.

Irene Joestar continues to work for the Speedwagon Foundation just as she used to, though in her downtime she likes to study philosophy.

Jothan Joestar passed away from a heart attack several months later, but not after donating his share of the money to the families that were torn apart by Akiko Mikami's rampage.

Gustavo Alcide continued to work for the Speedwagon Foundation, though his skills were soon recognized by the Japanese government. He now works undercover for the government.

Ryo Saburo remained an innocent boy, his life a reminder to all his friends that deep inside, they were like him.

[One year later…]

June 14th, 2034. 10:30 AM.

Rohan Kishibe's house.

"You really want to do this, huh, Joestar?" Rohan asked as he ran his hand through his neatly combed green hair. "Do you think this is really worth my time?"

"You're damn right I do," Josiah commented rather bluntly, which seemed to be the only way to get through Kishibe's thick skull, "Is there a problem with the storyline or something?"

"I just didn't know if you wanted something so close to your heart to be made into entertainment," Rohan said with a roll of his eyes as he set his cup of coffee onto his kitchen table, "What did you want to call this manga anyway?"

"White Noise," Josiah said, though he then shrugged, "I don't know why that exactly, but it seems right in my personal opinion. What do you think?"

"I like it, it's catchy," Rohan smirked and then stood up, immediately cracking his fingers as he stretched, "Don't you have somewhere to be, Joestar? You wanted to go spend time with your girlfriend, didn't you?"

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me!" Josiah bowed and made his way towards the living room door, but not before turning back to his co-worker. "Thanks again, Rohan!"

"It's no problem, go have fun before I change my mind!" Rohan half-joked, though this prompted Josiah to quickly exit the mangaka's house. "That was a really good plot, though…"

[Ten minutes later, at Osaka's park…]

"Catch, Mister Clark!" Ryo cried out as The Outfield flung its ball at Voltaire, the latter just barely catching it with one hand though it pushed him back slightly. "Wow, you're really tough!"

"You know it!" Clark Kubrick replied before tossing the ball to Warut, who lunged towards it and grabbed it with both of his hands, ignoring his knees as they drug across the ground.

"G-got it! Damn, you're a good throw!" Warut chuckled and picked himself off the ground, his hand brushing off the dust as he looked to Taiga and then Jin. "Hm, who should I throw it to?"

"If you hit me with it, I'll throw it so hard I'll knock your teeth down your throat!" Taiga jokingly threatened with an innocent smile, though she turned around in surprise when a tall shadow loomed over her.

"How about you toss it to me next, Warut?" Josiah proposed as he lifted Downplay's hand, which caught the ball with extreme ease. He looked over to Jin, who had run over to him with excitement in her seafoam green eyes.

"Hey, JoJo! How did work go today?" Jin asked with a warm smile, her fingers intertwining with Josiah's as he walked towards the center of the park. "Did you get any work done on that secret project of yours?"

"It went really well, Rohan really liked it!" Josiah grinned, running the ball around in his free hand as he looked towards Ryo. "Hey, Ryo! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, JoJo!" Ryo said gleefully as Josiah tossed him the ball, the child catching it with one hand. "I hope you're ready to get your butt kicked!"

"Yeah? We'll see about that!"

After more than an hour of throwing the ball around – and being forced back by the sheer power of The Outfield – Josiah and Jin decided to take a break while the others kept Ryo entertained, who did not seem tuckered out in the slightest.

Josiah and Jin sat on the park bench, watching as their friends continued to play ball with Ryo. They felt rather uncomfortable now, as the two of them were absolutely drenched in sweat from head to toe.

"I didn't think that would tire me out that much!" Jin laughed and wiped sweat from her brow, her eyes focusing in on Josiah's. "I was really worried about you today, since I know what that story is based on."

"Yeah, I understand."

"Are you fine?" Jin asked, her hand running over the top of his as she sighed, looking towards him with an inviting smile. "I'm sure that takes a lot out of you."

Josiah sat up and squeezed Jin's hand, his other gripping the bottom of the bench as he looked towards the cloudless, sunny sky with what could only be described as a look of bliss.

"I'm fine! Life has had its ups and its downs, some better than others, and some worse than others. But, in the end… I don't really care what happens as long as you guys stand by me. That's what it means to be loved and to be human, to have friends that will always have my back, even if they're thousands of miles away, or they're not even in this world any more."

"Yeah? So what are you saying?"

Josiah squeezed her hand once more before turning to look at her, his sky blue eyes clear with happiness and understanding.

"This was worth it… all of that pain I went through was just a stepping stone to get to where I am now, and I would go through it one hundred times to get back here. Life will try to stop me, but it can try all it wants."

"Why's that?"

"Because the spirit raging inside me will fuel me until the end of my days. That's what it means to be human."

 _ **The End**_

 **Author's Note**

 **Holy shit. Before I say anything, I just want to thank every single one of my friends: Tech, Scams, Purple, Bren, Sapphire, Doko, Cass, Parker… and literally everyone else who had my back and pushed me forward while I was writing this. It means the absolute world to me that I was able to motivate myself to complete this monster of a story, since writing is what makes me the happiest. What started off as a silly little one shot grew into something that taught me to stay determined and to let my spirit guide me through life. This was a journey, and I can't wait until the next big project I start up on which should be in February. Watch out for a new one shot on New Years Day, and I may post some others beforehand!**

 **Until then, see you later! ~Josh**

 **[Giving credit where credit is due…]**

 **Josiah Joestar, Irene Joestar, Jothan Joestar, Masujiro Keizo, Sophia Milena and a majority of the enemy Stand users were created by me.**  
 **Warut Mizushima, Dororesu Matsumae, and Himuro Firestart were created by Tengu Hans.**  
 **Clark Kubrick was created by Tech097.**  
 **Shinnosuke was created by PurpleVision, who also helped quite a bit with the creation of Akiko Mikami.**  
 **Damon Lustbader was created by Virathe (My friend, Cass).**  
 **Taiga was created by Gatoraiden.**  
 **Frederick Valli was created by The Villain of Scams.**  
 **Jin Kovich and Nico Andreaccio was created by my friend Matt.**  
 **Gustavo Alcide's concept was created by Colton O'Weekly.**

 **[Reference list and fun facts.]**  
 **Josiah's name comes from a Call of Cthulhu a friend of mine once made.**  
 **White Noise originally started as 'Destiny of the Bloodline', though as it went on I decided I wanted Josiah to branch off.**  
 **The universe White Noise is set in is called the D2X Universe, which will have two sequels, one special, a one shot, and several spin offs.**  
 **I was told that it was odd that Dion stole the body of a man, though I kept it anyway because I'm too lazy to fix it.**  
 **As said by Tengu Hans, Warut is based off of the beast from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. His Stand is a reference to the band Stratovarius, its former name being Black Water, which compliments his Stand's appearance.**  
 **Dororesu's name is a reference to Delores O'Riordan, the lead singer of The Cranberries.**  
 **Himuro Firestart's name is a reference to Himuro Yoshiteru, a techno artist from Japan. Firestart is from a survival horror game for the Commodore 64 that was titled Project Firestart.**  
 **Akiko's backstory was heavily inspired by the Kuchisake-onna myth, and her Stand's pocket dimension ability reflects how she used to be. Her Stand also reflects this, as the band it is named after, has put out an Extended Play and an album that were about abuse.**  
 **Akiko's Stand's name was originally Pretty In Porcelain.**  
 **Irene Joestar's Stand takes elements from her main universe counterpart's Stand, as well as Kakyoin's Stand, Hierophant Green, from Stardust Crusaders.**  
 **Shinnosuke's Stand is meant to represent his intense anxiety and self-loathing.**  
 **Kenji Rokuro's appearance was somewhat inspired by Kenji from Katawa Shoujo.**

 **REFERENCE LIST**  
 **Josiah Joestar's Stand, Downplay, is named after the band of the same name. Its design was heavily inspired by the cover of the band's record Radiocalypse.**  
 **Taiga's Stand, Over And Over, is named after a song by Three Days Grace.**  
 **Irene Joestar's Stand is an obvious reference to the song Stone Free by Jimmy Hendrix, as it was with her main universe counterpart.**  
 **Warut Mizushima's Stand is named after the band Stratovarius.**  
 **Dororesu Matsumae's Stand is named after the song Icicle Melts by The Cranberries.**  
 **Jothan Joestar's Stand, Hey Jude, is named after a song by The Beatles.**  
 **Nico Andreaccio's Stand, Bones, is named after a rapper who shares the name.**  
 **Sophia Milena's Stand, Saint Peter, is named after a song by Being As An Ocean.**  
 **Shinnosuke's Stand, The Sound of Silence, is named after a song by Simon & Garfunkel.**  
 **Masujiro Keizo's Stand, Issues, was named after a band that shares the name.**  
 **Clark Kubrick's Stand, Voltaire, was named after an artist who shares the name.**  
 **Akiko Mikami's Stand, The Plot In You, was named after a band that shares the same name.**  
 **Damon Lustbader's Stand, Love and Meth, was named after a song by KoRn.**  
 **Leopold Gilbert's Stand, Novocaine, was named after a song by Fall Out Boy.**  
 **Hiroshi Osamu's Stand, House of Memories, was named after a song by Panic! At The Disco.**  
 **Astrid Lucille's Stands, Scar the Martyr and Rabbit Hole, were named after the band of the same name and a song by Blink-182.**  
 **Altaire Vicente's Stands, Pay Money to My Pain and Molly, were named after the band of the same name and a song by Lil Dicky.**  
 **Latimer Bourne's Stand, Silverstein, was named after a band that shares the same name.**  
 **Kenji Rokuro's Stand, Filter, was named after a band that shares the same name.**  
 **Shiro Kansuke's Stand, Islander, was named after a band that shares the same name.**  
 **Gustavo Alcide's Stand, Sixty Minute Man, was named after a song by Billy Ward and his Dominoes.**  
 **Himuro Firestart's Stand, Planet Telex, was named after a song by Radiohead.**  
 **Vera Scarlet's Stand, Classic Jack, was named after a band that shares the same name.**  
 **Amber Purnima's Stand, Hawthorne Heights, was named after a band that shares the same name.**  
 **Ryo Saburo's Stand, The Outfield, was named after a band that shares the same name.**  
 **Ryouta Ikari's Stand, Parabelle, was named after a band that shares the same name.**  
 **Frederick Valli's Stand, Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You, was named after a song by Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons.**  
 **Cyrus Steinberg's Stand, Altessa, was named after a band that shares the same name.**  
 **Jarrod Tollas's Stand, Pretty In Porcelain, was named after a song by Famous Last Words.**  
 **Norisuke Kaito's Stand, Vermillion, was named after a song by Slipknot.**

 **Again, thank you for reading!**


End file.
